"You Too" and Stuff...

Mike and the Blue Men

2007-04-07T10:36:00.000-05:00

My friend Chris and I took a little jaunt over to Peoria to see the Blue Man Group last week. We had seen them before a few years ago in Champaign and weren't disappointed. When I found out that they were going to be so close to home, I knew that there was absolutely no way that we could miss them on their "How to be a Megastar 2.0" tour.

Chris and I were both able to skip out of work early that day so we headed to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner and then onto Inplay, a Dave & Buster-esque bar/arcade. After kicking Chris' ass at Skeeball, we proceeded onto the main event.

Our tickets for the show weren't the best, we were facing the stage right from a side view, but we were still able to see okay due to the large side screens, which seem to be the standard for concerts now, and we had another good view as the stage protruded out a bit.

The first time that we had seen them, the Blue Man Group was touring with Tracy Bonham as an opener and Venus Hum as a special guest. I thought that Ms. Bonham rocked, especially with her acoustic version of "Mother Mother", but this tour's opener, DJ Mike Relm, blew her away. Like most undiscovered talent, he's been around for a while playing the underground scene in the San Francisco area. I'm glad that he was able to snag such a popular tour so that he can be exposed to lots of new people who may not have been aware that he even existed, such as myself. The crowd reacted wildly to him and he spun and scratched in sync with some of the greatest movie clips ever. If you were present at the concert, I'm sure that you will never look at "Office Space" the same way again. Relm also mixed-up scenes from Woodstock, Fight Club, and even the Peanuts. Amazing. His high energy performance had me hooked. I've provided some a clip of some of his stuff for your enjoyment. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet DJ Mike Relm!

The Blue Man Group, as usual, was creative, fun, and humorous. They kept the crowd entertained by flashing facts, jokes, and shameless website/newsletter plugs across the screens for 15 minutes before the show started. Chris and I were a bit disappointed to see that they hadn't switched up the act from when we had seen them before. They again walked the audience through the essential rock concert traditions such as the one-handed fist pump, the head nod, and even the fake ending. They are champions at crowd-participation. This time around they're encouraging people to take pictures and the post them to their "How to be a Megastar" website. The back-up band was terrific, with three drummers and a few more guitarists. I've also posted below my favorite part of the show...nothing gets an audience going like an old familiar tune, in Blue Man Group fashion, of course. If you haven't had a chance to experience one of their shows, I encourage you to do so if they happen to roll through your area. If you've seen them in Vegas or in Chicago, expect something different this time around. This is a rock concert compared to a stage show. Enjoy!

What's Up, Buttercups?

2007-03-11T10:29:00.000-05:00

Hello again, my friends! I hope all is well in your worlds. I know that I've been quite absent, but I've also been quite the busy little bee. Here's what's been goin' on in my hood:

1) The boy and I have decided to take the next step so we're gettin' hitched! V proposed to me on New Year's Eve and we're in the process of planning our September 2008 wedding. We aren't the only ones taking the plunge. His sister became engaged at Christmas and his brother proposed to his girlfriend for Valentine's Day. It seems that we'll be surrounded by wedding stuff for the next year! Congrats to Becky & Brad and John & Eileen, btw! I've gone from an only child to having a step-brother and now am anticipating acquiring lots of in-laws!

(Here is my engagement ring along with the recent wedding band that matches my ring. We were lucky enough to get our bands recently at Stout & Lauer's big closing sale!)

2) Of course, when exciting things happen, crappy things happen as well. I decided that I had been a fugitive on the run for long enough and made the decision to get my wisdom teeth out. Luckily, they were all above the gums so I just had to have them pulled rather than cut out. Once I was numb, the entire process only took about 15 minutes. I took my ipod so that I wouldn't hear any unpleasant crunching noises. V was excited to document the adventure and my dentist was more than likely to make room for him to get the best shots. Warning: Nasty dental shots below... (things are healing well, no dry sockets, thanks for asking)

Thank you Dr. Ross!

Tools of torture

The main event

Bloody holes

Aftermath (note the sexy uneven lips and drool)

3) Just as time changed this morning at 2 a.m., my age will be changing as well. Next week I'll hit the big 3-0. The only thing that is getting me through the trauma is the fact that I'm escaping to St. Louis this weekend on a "girls weekend" away with my mom. We're staying at the Hyatt in Union Station, will be attending the HUGE St. Patrick's Day parade, and will be taking in a concert by Harry Connick Jr. (I'll plug his new CD, "Oh My Nola" because it's fantastic!) The first activity of "Birthday Week" will take place tomorrow night. I'm headed to see "Rent", one of my favorite musicals. Wish me luck in surviving the final week of my twenties...

I guess the only other big happenings took place in Springfield over the past few months. As you probably have heard Sen. Barak Obama announced his candidacy for President on the lawn of the Old State Capitol. I watched the action from the coziness of my couch. I've already joined "Team Hilary". Best of luck to all of the candidates.

Last week there was a rash, about 200, car vandalisms around the city. My mom's car windows were casualties in the action. Fortunately, they caught the jack-holes responsible so Springfield can sleep in peace again. Thank you SPD!

Tomorrow marks the 1-year anniversary of the tornadoes that hit, and temporarily destroyed, the city. The domestic violence shelter at which I work suffered a great amount of damage. We just made our final repairs last week. Many have rebuilt, but my thoughts will be with those who lost everything and are still trying to gain some re-order to their lives.

Finally, some of my favorite businesses will be closing their doors soon, if they haven't already.

- Stout & Lauer is preparing to close its doors after being in Springfield for over 100 years. The last time we were there, they still had great things left and will continue putting out new jewelry as new settings are completed. Stop by, take a look, and wish them well.

- La Sorella, my favorite restaurant in town, which made my favorite food ever, garlic bread pasta, closed last weekend. We were lucky enough to visit one last time before it's final closing. It's sad to see us lose such a phenomenal establishment. Not only was the food amazing, La Sorella held special meaning to me. I had my first legal drink there on my 21st birthday, V and I went there the night we became engaged. I was hoping to spend my 30th there and we were hoping they'd be around to host our rehearsal dinner. Thanks for the memories...and the garlic bread pasta!

- Yesterday I received word that the Scrapping Bee will be closing after 5 years. I, along with quite a few others, flocked to the store yesterday to make our final purchases and to wish Kendra and the gang good luck. The average length of time to wait in line was an hour and a half, but it was a wait that was worth it. I overheard many sharing stories of new friendships, as well as beautiful pages, that were created at the Scrapping Bee. They won't be closing until the end of the month so if you haven't had a chance, stop in, tell everyone "good-bye" and pick up some awesome deals at the same time. Although my fellow scrappers will be sad to see them go, the staff should be proud of what they've accomplished and the memories that they've helped to make. Keep on BEE-ing creative and I have no doubts that you'll BEE successful! Best of luck to you!

Enough of the sappy! Now you know how I've spent my absence. What have you been up to?

A Trick and A Treat

2006-11-01T07:47:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone got enough sweets to make their dentist have nightmares last night. I had plenty because, not knowing what to expect in the new area, I stocked up on chocolate for hungry Trick or Treaters. Unfortunately, we only had 4 visitors and my ass is going to continue to grow as a result.

Diet woes aside, I did get a lovely little treat yesterday. I learned that John Mayer is going back on tour and will be heading for Bloomington in February. I saw him last month in St. Louis with Sheryl Crow and the show was amazing! I've been listening to his new CD, "Continuum", since the second it was released. I can easily say that it's the best music collection I've heard this year. It's a lot of bluesy sounds mixed with the tiniest bit of pop.

Check out Mr. Mayer's always entertaining blog here. After that, buy "Continuum". You won't regret it. Tell Amazon that Jodi sent ya...

Here's a clip from John Mayer's shortly-lived show on Vh-1. He dresses up in a bear suit and talking to tail-gating fans before one of his shows. Hilarious!

2006-10-16T07:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Almost Halloween!

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of "It's a Great Pumpkin,Charlie Brown!", I thought I'd post this clip. Enjoy and may the Great Pumpkin make all of your Halloween wishes come true!

Illinois State Fair 2006

2006-08-13T07:56:00.000-05:00

You either love it or hate it, but if you live in Springfield, there's no avoiding it. It's the Illinois State Fair. For my entire life, I've gone at least once each year. I go to eat the customary corn dog to remedy that feeling I'd get if I didn't go that I had really missed something. The state fair is one of those things that you look forward to, but then you want to leave immediately as soon as it arrives. Unfortunately, it sticks around town for ten days.

V was off studying for his exam, the weather was as nice and mild as it was going to get, and I had a craving for Culler's vinegar fries, so off I went. This was a mission that I had to accept. Making a solo venture to the fair doesn't bother me. I like to have a plan mapped out to assure that I get to see everything so sometimes having someone else with you involves too much compromise that just might slow you down. The Illinois State Fair is a sensitive operation, you're in, you're out, you're finished until 2007.

There are certain things that you have to see every year to make the trip count and there's some things that you just don't expect to see. I saw much of both.

The one thing that everyone looks forward to seeing once the fair starts its annual promotion is which new food will be featured. This year it happened to be "Egg on a stick", which is nothing more than a hard-boiled egg on a skewer with a variety of dipping sauce options. For some reason, when I think of the fair and the accompanying heat, eating eggs just doesn't come to mind.

Although the weather was gorgeous, it was still a little warm. This led to me missing out many of my favorite fair treats simply because eating them would only make me hotter. Unfortunately, I had to skip one of my new favorite stands, "Fried What?" It's only been around for a few years, but it has already become a fair favorite. I've tried the Snicker's Bar, the Twinkie, the Cheesecake, and the Strawberry Shortcake in previous years. They were each surprisingly good.
One food that I didn't eat and totally regret it...
Oh well, I still have to go back next week to hang out with the Counting Crows. I'll hit Ethnic Village then...

Among the fair standards that I couldn't miss seeing were the giant slide, the giant abe, the giant Milkshake stands, the man making popcorn in the giant kettle, the giant sand sculpture, and the giant Buttercow. Yes, it's a cow made out of butter. See it for yourself in real time, along with the other fairgoers, here.

And you thought things were bigger in Texas.....

While I expected to see all of these fun things, one thing that I wasn't expecting to ever see was a reindeer! Did you know that they're antlers are fuzzy?
In Conservation World, I saw this crazy racecar made of recycled containers. I wonder if it runs on some type of Biodiesel... Yep, that V and his tree huggin' is really rubbing off on me.

By this time, I felt content with my visit to the fair. I also felt that my sunscreen was wearing off so I decided to get my mandatory lemon shake-up to go. So until next year, or at least next weekend, so long old friend!

Mr. Jones and Me

2006-08-09T07:04:00.000-05:00

It's nice to know that during times when life seems busy and terribly hectic, there are small moments that can remind you that there is still fun to be had. One of those moments reached me on Monday, when I was swamped at work and trying to balance several different projects. I received a phone call, the only call that I actually didn't let go through to voicemail, from the Community Outreach Coordinator for the band, Counting Crows. Evidently, domestic violence is one of the causes that the band supports. They are going to be playing at our Illinois State Fair this year along with the Goo Goo Dolls. Counting Crows kindly invited us to plug our domestic violence agency at the concert. Adam Duritz himself will make announcements promoting us! The band is even going to post a link to our website from theirs. Thanks guys! I'll be sure to post pics of the show to share.

Steve in My City!!

2006-07-23T16:46:00.000-05:00

V and I went to visit his mom this weekend in Indiana. We had a nice, relaxing weekend that I thought couldn't get any better until I came home to find this in my mailbox...

It's an autographed picture of David Eigenberg (aka Steve Brady, Miranda Hobbes' bartending beau on "Sex and the City")!! How lucky am I??

Let's Take A Walk

2006-07-16T13:44:00.000-05:00

Despite the heat, V and I decided to take a walk in the neighborhood. I decided to take my camera to see what I could spot. I didn't have to go very far before I found my first opportunity. Last week I had run into our neighborhood standing in line at Starbucks. She warned me that a dove had built a nest and laid eggs in the wreath that was on her door. The dove, just being a protective parent, would attack any guests who happened to come near her. I figured that if I stayed far enough back, it wouldn't be an invasive shot to get. I knew I was wrong when the dove squawked, flew directly toward me, and soared up onto the roof at the last moment. I did, however, get a great photo.

As we continued on down the block, we stopped at the pond that is in the middle of the subdivision. It was covered with lilypads. I had never seen a lilypad, nor did I ever know that they came in a variety that was so enormous. Before we headed home, I took a few pics. Enjoy!

Welcome to T.G.I.F. !!

2006-07-16T11:55:00.000-05:00

I'm always looking for things that crack me up. As you know, sometimes it seems as if these things are far and few between. When I saw this essay recently on The Onion recently, I couldn't pass it up. I think that Jenni Aberg hit the nail on the head. Judge for yourself...

Welcome to T.G.I. Fridays! May I Annoy the Living Shit Out of You??

Hi, Welcome to T.G.I. Fridays! May I annoy the living shit out of you? My name is Jenni, and I'll be your incredibly irritating server tonight! So, how are you folks doing this evening? Great!

Thanks sooo much for waiting! It has been completely insane around here! So if I seem a little brain-dead, please bear with me!

Can I start anybody off with one of our overpriced, stupidly named drinks? We've got a Totally Tropical Pina Colada Smoothie that's totally amazing! No? Just waters all around? Not feeling very adventurous tonight, are we? Hey, no prob! I'll be back with your aguas in just two shakes!

I am sooo sorry that took so long! Like I said, it's just been nuts! So, can I start you folks off with some greasy, disgusting appetizers? I highly recommend the Mexicali Rose Tequila-Fried Buffalo Wings. My personal fave, though, is the Five-Alarm Chili-Pepper Quesadillas with a side of Sesame-Seed-Grilled Tostadas and Margarita-Flavored Monterey Jack Dip. No? Just entrees? Wow! You folks don't mess around, do you?

Are you aware of our specials that nobody ever, ever orders? I'll mention them even though you've decided what you want. The first is our Southwestern Grilled Fettuccine Alfredo, which is a lot like our regular Fettuccine Alfredo, except the egg noodles are chargrilled and the cream sauce is flavored with a ranch dressing. It's served with either a Mediterranean veggie salad or a refried-bean dip. The second special is the Southwestern Grilled Avocado Meatloaf with Oriental vinaigrette marinara. Don't these sound the least bit tempting?

Doesn't my uniform make you happy? Aren't you happy? Aren't you so happy that you could take a bullet through the head?

Whew! I cannot believe how busy we are tonight! I swear, it doesn't normally take an hour for entrees. Anyway, thank you so much for your patience! You're the salsaburger with fries, right? And you're the Grilled Caesar Salad? Here you go! Anything else I can get for you? Can I top that Coke off for you, sir? Great!

Say, I forgot to mention this before, but we've got our own freshly brewed ice tea with Mexican-Grilled lemon. Any takers? Or, better yet, would you like to see our beer or wine list? That's too bad, because alcoholic drinks are the best way to increase the bill, which in turn increases my tip.

So, how's that burger working out for you, sir? Great! Actually, I couldn't care less. Would you like to see the dessert menu? Take your time looking it over, and I'll be back in a couple of minutes. By the way, I meant to say this before, but I absolutely love your top! No, not yours, sir. Although, you're quite the looker yourself!

All finished here? Great! Would you like a box to put these leftovers in? You sure? Okay! Have you decided what you'd like for dessert? The Asphyxiation By Caramel? I'm sorry, we're actually all out at the moment. Did you have a second choice? The Kahlua Fudge Slide with real Reese's Pieces? Oh, geez, we're out of that too. I'm sooo sorry! We do, however, have the Tex-Mex Fried Neopolitan Ice Cream with kiwi shavings. Would you prefer that instead? No? Just the check? Great! I'll be right back!

Sorry for the delay again, but the register's been acting up. I swear, I think there's a full moon out tonight! Is there anything else I can get for you? I know I totaled out the check, but we do have an adjoining bar. A negligible percentage of our bar sales go to the March of Dimes, so it's technically for a good cause! Oh, you have to leave as soon as possible? Okay, well, you guys have a super night! You can just bring your check up to the hostess at the register when you're set. It's been a pleasure getting on your nerves! Bye!

Let's Try This Again...

2006-06-04T12:24:00.000-05:00

Hey! How's it goin'? Lots going on here. V and are are still settling into our new place, but things are coming along swimmingly. Too much has happened since I last blogged so I'll just update you on a couple of exciting things and then move on accordingly in the coming days.

First up, we made a fantastic new discovery. It's a new restaurant in town called "The Pizza Machine." Evidently, and we didn't learn this until after our visit, the pizza makers just returned from Italy where they competed in a some type of pizza tossing competition. The place is great fun and it's mostly because of the staff! The whole novelty of the place is great too. When V and I read about the article in the paper, it said that the restaurant's claim to fame was 1) a pizza crane and 2) a 40-inch pizza. Those factors alone convinced me that this was an opportunity that was not to be missed. Unfortunately, with the history of restaurants in the area where the Pizza Machine was located, I was afraid that we would miss our chance if we didn't go soon. We gathered nine of our closest friends (because V and I couldn't possibly eat a 40-inch pizza by ourselves...) and headed off on our Saturday night adventure.

V's bro was in town so we decided that it would be the perfect weekend to visit the Pizza Machine. We were excited to see the pizza crane, which is more of a controlled zip-line that delivers the pizza from the kitchen on the balcony to the lower level dining room. With a trusted and experienced driver, the pizza crane will lower the pizza directly onto the hungry customer's table. Much to our dismay, the lower dining room was reserved for a private party so we weren't able to personally experience the crane, however we did get to watch it deliver a couple of pizzas to the tables below and it was quite an event! Everyone left their tables and gathered on the balcony to watch the transport, the joint erupted into applause when the pizzas safely reached their destination.

Even though we missed out on our very own pizza crane experience, we still knew that we had the 40-inch pizza to look forward to. With nine people, it's often difficult to decide on toppings. The staff was nice enough to accomodate us by dividing our pizza into quarters so that we could choose more toppings. Because the pizza is so big, it has to be cooked in separate ovens. This led to a bit of a wait. Luckily, there was a wondering magician and a table ready to harass him. You could tell that he dreaded coming to our table, but he did anyway. The ribbing continued until the big moment...our gargantuan pizza was here! Hooray!

It was so huge that it had it's own table. This is the cook who was a great sport and visited us at our table quite often while we waited. The group ate as much as it possibly could, but we still ended up taking the leftovers home. The pizza that we still had left, when boxed up, equaled two complete large pizzas. The price tag? The 40-inch pizza is $60 with two free toppings, $5 for each additional topping. Was it worth it? You bet. Get to the Pizza Machine before it's gone...

Another exciting recent event was our Earth day trip to St. Louis. For Valentine's Day, V decided to pass up the typical flowers and candy. He knows that I love otters so that's what he got me. He adopted an otter for me from the St. Louis Zoo. Yes, I'm officially a Zoo Parent...who will be attending the Zoo Parent picnic in September even! For the next year, I can enjoy my otter and know that thanks to V's generosity, he will be taken care of quite well. Thanks V! We decided to visit my otter for the first time and you can see the pics below from April trip to the St. Louis Zoo.

Aren't we cute? We "otter" be in pictures...

Watch out, V! Shark attack!

A butterfly landed right on my finger!

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL MY PEEPS !!

2006-04-16T10:24:00.000-05:00

I hope that everyone has a great Easter and bunny brings you lots of good stuff. Nothing says, "Hey, Jesus moved that heavy rock!" like chocolate...

If you have any leftover Peeps, here are some experiments that you may want to try...

29 for the First Time...

2006-03-24T12:48:00.000-06:00

March, March, March...oh what a month!

- I guess that the biggest news of the month is the tornadoes that hit the area causing major damage to several neighborhoods while leaving other virutally unscathed. The shelter that I work at had some damage done including lost tiles from the roof, the shed's roof being torn off, broken windows, a gate completely destroyed, the basement and elevator shaft filled with water, no power for 5 days, and lots of glass strewn about the playground. Luckily, there were no fatalities or serious injuries in the area. It's amazing to drive down the street and have it look so completely different. Places that you visited regularly are gone, landmarks destroyed. Kinda like what I imagine Armegeddon would look like. Check out pictures of the area here.

- I celebrated my 29th birthday last weekend. Unbelievable. I'm not anywhere at all near where I thought I would be by this age. Not a bad thing, my life has just taken a few extra turns that I wasn't expecting. To celebrate my birthday, a group of pals and I were going to take in a concert by The Oohs on St. Patrick's Day, but it seemed that no one really wanted to venture out amongst the drunks that evening. The following day Becky and I went and had pedicures and looked for washers and dryers. (more on that later...) That night V was supposed to take my to dinner, but it turned out that the place for which we had reservations was damaged by the storms and not yet open...nor were our next 3 runners-up...so we stayed in.

- V and I finally were able to find some place to live. We found a nice condo on the westside of town in a neighborhood where we're the youngest people by far. A nice, quiet subdivision where I can happily jog and ride my bike every day (which I'll need to do after all of the "stress ice cream binges" I've been on lately...). We even have a garage...sweet! I don't think that I've ever parked in a garage in my life. It's exciting although the moving plans are causing me more stress than I've ever had that had caused reactions in my body that I've never experienced either. We'll see what happens...I'll keep y'all posted...

Jodes

What's it Been Like...Forever?

2006-02-23T09:51:00.000-06:00

Howdy!

I'm going to quit reminding everyone that I'm still alive...now I'll just remind everyone of how incredibly busy I've been. You all know the feeling so I'm hoping you'll understand, although I'm sure that you're world isn't going to crumble if I you aren't able to read about my latest happenings...

Well, for those who are interested, here's what I've been up to:

- I set a goal for myself of reading 2 books every month. I'm kicking that goal's ass as I'm getting ready to start my 8th book of the year! Hooray for me! I'm literate!

Here's the list of what I've read so far:

1) A Million Little Pieces
2) Pledged
3) My Friend Leonard
4) Couldn't Keep it to Myself
5) Laci's Story
6) Without You
7) The Da Vinci Code

I'm still looking for suggestions for new books to read so if you have checked any out that you think I may be interested in, send the titles my way...

- In case you haven't heard, V and I are shackin' up. I was quite excited about the adventure initially, and I still am, but I'm a little overwhelmed when I realize how much stuff I have to purge and pack. The amount of stuff that I own and haven't used in the past year is amazing. I've made a new rule for myself. If I bring something new into the house, I have to get rid of 5 things. It sounds like a pretty good ratio to me.

We've still been searching for the right place, but I think that we may have found one that we can both agree on. The problem? It's being built as we speak and won't be completed until May. We're impatient so we'll have to see how this one works itself out. This place does have a guest room so you're invited to stay anytime! V and I have also been discussing my desire to fill the guest room with tiny soaps and chocolates. He thinks that those are gay ideas. Hmmm...

- As you know if you've been reading my blog for a while, that I'm an avid supporter of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The annual radiothon is currently going on in Springfield. I answered phones this morning and will do so again tomorrow. If you're interested in making a pledge, please give us a call at 1-800-323-5322. This morning between the hours of 6-9 am, the community raised over $20,000! Congrats to WFMB/St. Jude's and thank you to all who pledged.

We'll it's 10 am and I'm officially "at work" now so I'll post again soon...sooner than a month! Look for some pics as well!

-Jodi-

Read This...

2006-01-29T14:02:00.000-06:00

Just wanted you all to know that I'm alive and doing quite well. This month has been one of a lot of resting and a little relaxation as well. I've been a reading fool, not something that I've done for quite a while. My goal is to read two book a month, I'm currently on my fourth book for the month of January.

"A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey: I loved this book. I work in a setting where I deal with a lot of people who have substance abuse issues. This book was powerful and helped my understand their plight for sobriety a litte more clearly. Of course, I now know that most of the book was exaggerated or made up, but it is still a great read.

"Pledged": This was an interesting insight to sorority life. The book was written by a journalist who decided to go "undercover" into the Greek system and report all of the social issues that she encountered. From drinking and dangerous hazing rituals to isolation and sexuality, this was everything that I expected to read about. Much to my chigrin, or maybe to my delight that I wasn't stereotyping Greek life, the book contained instances of all these activities and more. Interesting read...made me want to go out and make a t-shirt.

"My Friend Leonard" by James Frey: EXCELLENT, two-day read and follow-up to "A Million Little Pieces". I don't care if anything was made up in this book or not, it was astounding and the writing was amazing. It makes you value those around you a little more, helping you to understand that often the losses that we experience make us more of the person that we were supposed to become.

I'm currently reading "Couldn't Keep It to Myself" by Wally Lamb and the women of York Correctional Institution, a series of essays from imprisoned women who tell the stories that led to their crimes. Next on my list is the story that Laci Peterson's mother wrote about Laci's life and then V has convinced me to tacked "The Divinci Code".

Have you read anything worth discussing? Share here!!

*I am fully aware that I should've underlined the book titles, but I'm apparently missing some functions while blogging that I've used in the past...any idea where these functions have disappeared to?

HAPPY 2006 Y'ALL!!

2006-01-09T10:37:00.000-06:00

Hello! It's great to be back... I know that it's been a while and I apologize. I could go on and on with a list of reasons for my absence, but I will not. However, I will say that I no longer have internet capabilities from home (I keep getting viruses and V is getting tired of spending hours cleaning my computer...). As part of my long list of 2006 resolutions, I'm going to try to keep in contact more often. Here's a small update of what's been going on since last September...

1) As of tomorrow, I'll have been dating V for nine months. We're still not co-habitating, for our own goods...he's too particular and I'm too much of a slob. I do have a key to his place and practically live there on weekends.

2) My mother and future step-father have finally set a wedding date for next year. It seems as if I'm going to be inheriting the step-brother that I never wanted...Just kidding Lance, you know I luv ya!

3) I had my second trip to Madison to shop it up while V was at a conference and also to spend time with Jason, who has eloped since I've last posted. Thanks to Jason, I also got to participate in my first Cabaret show. I was assigned to be a go-go dancer on a lighting technician's catwalk during the show. Good times, good times.

4) I had two firsts in November. I spent my first Thanksgiving away from home and made my third trip to Wisconsin. V's brother was kind enough to host Thanksgiving this year at his place in Milwaukee. Everything was great! As sad as I was to be separated from family and friends for the holiday, V's family welcomed me as one of their own.

5) Shelby ran in his first charity walk with me. We participated in an epilepsy awareness run. He did pretty well for an 11 year old Pomeranian.

6) I went to my very first pro sporting event and LOVED it! V's duplex mate hooked us up with tickets to see the St. Louis Blues hockey team play. They lost the game that night, but we still had a blast. I also visited the St. Louis City Museum, which I had never seen before. It's really, really something that you should check out if you're in the city. The City Museum is an old shoelace factory that local artists turned into this magical jungle of tubes, springs, tunnels, and caves that you can crawl through. It's strange because you go through one hole and you could end up in a completely different floor. It almost reminds me of Willy Wonka's Choclate Factory. There is a three-story slide indoors for those who aren't interested in taking the stairs. The building also housed a circus, a small aquarium, a tattoo exhibit, a collection of old gargoyles, and a diner that is filled with some truly bizarre things such as rubber aliens and the "largest pair of underpants in the world." The outside of the building is also a massive group of climbing "things". There are two hollowed out airplanes that are suspended at almost the height of the building and you can climb up into them to explore. They even had a bonfire going when we were there. On the top of the building, you can see a school bus teetering over the edge. As I was talking to one of the guides that are greatly needed to help you get through the mazes of madness, I was told that this summer, the museum is planning on building a waterpark on the roof! It really is something that you need to truly experience. Be sure to put your kids on a leash, once they go in, there's no telling where they're going to be spit out.

V, his bro, and I rang in the New Year by having dinner at the local fondue restaurant, one of my new favorite things to do, and then spending the midnight hour at a friend's small gathering. Nothing too eventful, but significant enough for me to put another year behind me and welcome in 12 more months of possibility.

I hope everyone is doing well. Keep in touch!

-Jodi-

Hey Ya!

2005-09-16T21:09:00.000-05:00

Hey peeps,

Just wanted to let you know that once again my computer is stupid. I have lots of great new pics to show and lots has happened since we've last had contact...guess you'll have to wait a bit longer to find out...nothing big, no worries.

Jodes

I Like Smart Boys.

2005-08-29T00:35:00.000-05:00

Lemme tell you a little story about two guys, Zach and Jakob. The guys met in 1999 and founded Connected Ventures, "a business who designs and develops good websites." Their business is based out of a kick-ass NYC office. These guys, and all of their friends and co-workers, who happen to be just as amusing and talented, aren't playing around. They're in their early twenties and manage 7 websites. Incredible! And they've received amazing press from Playboy magazine and Rolling Stone, what twenty-something guy wouldn't want to have those credentials behind them? I'm not really sure how long I've known about the guys and their venture, but I've kept myself posted daily ever since. When Jakob breaks out his video camera, you never know quite what to expect...but here's a sample...if only my workday could be so much fun... note: Jakob is singing lead, Zach is playing back-up on air drums.

View this clip on Vimeo

Check out their other sites if you get a chance, I guarantee, you won't want to miss what these guys are up to!

All Dumb - the site's title aptly describes it, I believe.

Big Shocker - yeah. it's selling exactly what it's describing.

Busted Tees - they use their hot friends to sell hilarious t-shirts...check 'em out and then buy 'em. Note: the "I Gave My Word to Stop at Third" T-shirt is on sale for $12.99!

College Humor - if it's crazy and it's NSFW, chances are it's here...

Crazewire - amazing music source

Defunker - another site that sells tees, only this time, they're designed by friends AND modeled on them.

Vimeo - this is one of my top three absolute most favorite sites, I know that I'm guarateed one loud laugh or snorty chuckle every day when I visit. Some of this stuff is incredible, some of it is stupid, but some is really, really good. Check them out and find your own favorites. For starters, check out anything from Zach and Jakob's collection. If you liked the above clip, you'll love the rest! Enjoy!

And let's not forget their friends:

David Cho - the guy who can do an awesome wave

Ricky - the editor of College Humor who is funnier than hell

Do You Hear What I Hear??

2005-08-28T23:55:00.000-05:00

As you know, when I become obsessed with something, I really go all out. Lately the hobby of choice has been scrapbooking, but I've also learned of something else that is really blowing my skirt up. God bless the audioblog! As you've probably read, I haven't had my computer fixed for very long so it still has that "new" feel to it. I'm not yet bored, always finding new things and updating old things. As I was importing files into itunes to replace the ones that I lost in the "computer crash of 2005", I found some old blogs that I used to visit daily when my computer was in working order. One of them led me to audioblogs and I've been importing MP3s everyday since. I've gotten some really great new stuff and replaced some old classics. It's sooo exciting! Then again, I live for cheap thrills. Anyway, no sense in me keeping the love all to myself...here's a list of my new favorite audioblogs...Have fun!

Copy, Right? (one of favorites...)

Stereogum (who doesn't know about this one??)

The Suburbs are Killing Us

Womenfolk

You Ain't No Picasso

And if you want to make sure that you didn't miss any new MP3 posts on a number of selected audioblogs, visit The Hype Machine, which provides the download on it's site and a link to the post. It's updated as often as the sites are updated. Excellent resource! Have fun, friends!!

Any audioblogs that you think I'm missing and shouldn't be??

The "Ultimate" Saturday...

2005-08-28T22:57:00.000-05:00

When I met V we discussed the typical first date things...our careers, our hobbies, our education, and our hobbies. V was really excited to tell me at that time about "Ultimate" , and seemed surprised when I had no clue what he was talking about. He was so excited about it in fact, that he took me to his car after dinner and gave me brief lesson on the rules of playing "Ultimate" and showed me his "disc" ...heh, sounds dirty, doesn't it? The following weeked, he invited me to play with him and the guys. When I suggeted that I would just sit by and watch, he frowned, informing me that if I went to watch, I was going to play. Needless to say, I didn't yet know if V was worthy of myself dodging Frisbees all afternoon, so we decided on an alternate activity. I quickly learned, as V continued to talk about the sport, that I was no where ready to even attempt it, nor did I have the required cleats. Months went by and I heard nothing more about "Ultimate" until a few weekends ago. Vincent had asked me what I had going on and told me about an actual "Ultimate" tournament in Jacksonville that he was going to go watch. I decided to tag along, if it's important to V, it's important to me. He hadn't played since we had been dating and I still wasn't that clear if it was because we spent most weekends together and he just didn't have time or if it was due to multiple "Ultimate" incidents, one in which he even had to get 4 stictches above his left eye. Anyway, I was still curious about "Ultimate" and really didn't understand the point of it. I was just thinking that it was a glorified game of Frisbee. I would soon learn that it was completely different and even mentioning the word "Frisbee" around this gang would hold great consequences.

We risked the rain and showed up at the park. Much to our surprise, the games were already underway and there were TONS of people playing, including some bad-ass chicks. We threw down a blanket and took it all in. V took some great action shots and talked to some of the guys he used to play with. As the action was crazy on the field, I was in the zone. I became addicted to "Ultimate" . I'm still not sure that I could ever play it, but it was amazing. And certainly much, much different that I was expecting. I thought that it'd be a little more violent and I thought that it would just be a lot of Frisbee tossing and running. Nope. There were some quite complex rules and I found myself constantly asking V questions about the game. He did his best to answer them all between shots. I guess the most impressive thing about the game, other than the kick-ass way that they were throwing the disc, a style, the "flick", that I had never witnessed and V has yet to teach, was the athletism of these people. They were in it for the kill. It was much less complicated than football and most simlar to basketball with the "ultimate" (pardon the pun...) goal of catching the disc in the end zone to score. These players had great strategies and knew what they were doing and it was evident.

Thanks to V for teaching me the difference between a Frisbee and a disc...I will be forever grateful.

To find out where you can get involved with "Ultimate" in your area, check out this site.

Wow...It's Been A While...

2005-08-28T22:56:00.000-05:00

Again, apologies, apologies, apologies...been busy, been lazy, been irresponsible...here ya go...not one, but 4 new posts! Enjoy!!

Bathroom Coda

2005-08-15T00:22:00.000-05:00

Soooo...I was going pee at V's house the other day. After I flushed, the unthinkable began to happen, the toilet began to overflow. I was puzzled because there really wasn't any reason for it. I'm very frugal when it comes to paper usage. Of course, V would disagree, but trust me on this one. Anyway, I rushed out of the bathroom, grabbed the nearest plunger and went at it like a pro. Of course, I stopped the water and V, like he is, had to evaluate the situation a bit further. At one point, he was actually stirring the water in the toilet, long after the situation was remedied, like it was a caulderon and he was mixing a brew.

Why am I telling you this story? Fast forward to the evening (or should I say early the next morning...), Becky and I have full bladders and are preparing to take the 30-mile trek back to the "Patch" at 2 a.m. We decided to stop at a Holiday Inn on the way out of town to "unload", if you will. While we're sitting next to each other in the stalls, I tell Becky of the above experience, which led to a further discussion about bathroom pet peeves. The more I thought about it, my list is quite lengthy. My sometimes strange bathroom habits are well-known among my friends, but I thought I'd publish a special comprehensive list for those interested parties...I know you're out there...

1. I cannot use a "one-seater" public restroom. I always feel like I have to hurry because someone is going to come beating on the door at any moment.

2. I always have to give a pre-cautionary flush before I begin. I would rather have the toilet overflow before I've used it.

3. I can only be wearing only one layer when I go to the bathoom. For example, if I'm wearing a t-shirt with a sweatshirt over it, I have to take the sweatshirt off. If it's 20 degrees in the bathroom and I'm wearing a jacket, I'll have to freeze because the coat is comin' off...

4. I can't have any necklaces, bracelet or big earrings on while I'm using the bathroom. Often when I use the bathroom at work, I'll take off my lanyard and forget to put it back on. I've found it hidden in a menagerie of places due to co-workers who are amused by my habits, from this great toilet paper cabinet we have to the actual toilet tank. Thanks guys!

5. I always have to use the first stall that's closest to the door. I read somewhere once that it's the cleanest because people always head for the stall that's farthest away.

6. I'm always scared that someone is going to try to open the door so I have to have the toes of one of my shoes sticking out of the door. This is the same thing that I do when I'm in a fitting room. I'll put on shoe half-way under the door so that outsiders will know that it's being used.

7. If there's a fan in the bathroom, I always have to use it, even if I'm just washing my hands. I feel like there's someone outside the door listening to my actions. I mainly use the fan at work because when you pee, everyone can hear it. The fan definitely helps cover up some of the noise.

8. I have a system that I always use to wash my hands. I have to soap them up for at least 30 seconds and clean under my nails. I wash my hands like I'm headed into surgery.

9. When I leave the bathroom, I can NEVER touch the door handle with my hands. I usually can manuver it open with my elbow.

10. If I'm at the sink with someone and we're washing our hands together, I always have to initiate some type of conversation. For some reason, going to the bathroom is such a strange experience to share with others.

So, am I the only crazy one here or does anyone else have public restroom issues? If so, please share....

1% Campaign

2005-08-14T22:58:00.000-05:00

As a "Vagina Warrior", it's my duty to inform you of a new campaign that Eve Ensler has launched to draw attention to the possibility of a world without violence against females. According to the V-Day website, she is encouraging our leaders to allocate 1% of our nation's defense budget, approximately 4 billion dollars, toward the safety and security of women and girls. This money would be used to fund domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and hotlines that are essential to the survival to thousands of women and girls every day. This campaign can be considered to be a "peace-keeping" effort right here at home, as it's estimated that one in three women in the U.S. will fall victim to rape, incest, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, or domestic violence in their lifetime. It seems a bit imbalanced that the military is spending billions of dollars to "protect" us while thousands of women are fighting in their own "wars" daily, often in their own homes. Unforunately, this "war" won't be viewed as a national concern until leaders put it at the top of their "to-do" lists. This won't happen unless socity demands that it does so. If we make this demand over and over again, the 1% Campaign will work, eventually leading to a movement that will change the world.

If you want more information about the 1% Campaign, please click here. In the meantime, consider the following statistics from the Family Violence Prevention Fund and RAINN:

Nearly 31% of women report being sexually or physically abused by a boyfriend at some point in their lives.
Thirty percent of Americans say they know of a woman who has been sexually or physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year.
In the year 2001, more than half a million American women (588.490 women) were victims of nonfatal violence commited by an intimate partner.
Women are less likely to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner.
As many as 324,000 women each year experience intimate partner violence during their pregnancy.
Between 1993 and 1995, 18 of 32 states reported an increase in domestic violence filings of 20% or more.
On average, more than 3 women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends each day in the U.S.
The health-costs of rape, physical assault, stalking and homocide committed by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion each year.
One in five high school students report being physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.
Forty percent of girls age 14-17 know someone their age who has been hit by a boyfriend.
In a national survey of 6,000 American families, 50% of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also abused their children.
More than half of female victims of domestic violence live in households with children under the age of 12.
Studies suggest that between 3.3-10 million children witness some type of domestic violence annually.
One in five women reported that they have been raped or sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime.
In 2003, there were an average of 223,280 victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.
About 44% of rape victims are under the age of 18, three out of every 20 victims is under the age of 12.
Ninety-three percent of juvenile sexual assault victims knew their attacker.
About four out of ten sexual assaults take place at the victim's own home.

Funky Cold Adema

2005-08-09T23:05:00.000-05:00

* Warning, the below post contains a graphic pic of a nasty eye...

(Just a note from the previous post...I immediately went to the itunes store and purchased "Beverly Hills" by Weezer...consider my gator fed.)

Soooo...Becky and I rolled into town a little after 2 a.m. Upon returning home, I collapsed on a different bed than I usually sleep in, allowing my Toy Pomeranian, Shelby, to join me in slumber. When I woke up the next morning, I found that I was unable to open my left eye. It was burning and a bit matted. Immediately I knew that I had pink eye. Being the great girlfriend that I am, I also immediately thought of everything I had touched in V's house and how crazy he would be cleaning his place to rid it of my cooties. When I looked in the bathroom mirror, I noticed something that I had never seen before. It was one of those things that if you saw it on your mom or your best friend, you would actually back away from them, unconcerned as to if you were offending them or not. It really was as sexy as the following description is about to sound. I had an actual sac of fluid, resembling a bubble blister, hanging out of the corner of my eye. It was actually attached to my eyeball. Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! Automatically I was thinking about the eyeball transplant that I was going to have to get and hoping that the new eyeball would match the other. I considered my eyes to be one of my best assets.

Because I had nothing better to do on a Sunday morning and there was no place I'd rather be than the ER, I headed in that direction. After quite a long wait, I was finally examined. The swelling and "nasty sac" had gone down a bit, but I was still anxious to learn more about this freakish condition. The doctor did a lot of poking and prodding. At one point, he put a special drop in my eye, after much struggling with my reflexes that tend to try to defend themselves against whatever is close enough to invade my pupils. He then used a special black light to check my corneas for damage. Nada. Doc told me that I would cry yellow tears for a few days as a result of the drops and that my eyes would glow in black lights. I got excited when I thought back about the black light bulb that I had just bought for V a few weeks prior.

After several more hours, it was determined that due to the large amounts of smoke that I was surrounded by the night before mixed with the hair of my dog, whom I usually don't sleep with, I just had a simple eye infection that was triggered by allergies. If you want to get technical, I was diagnosed with chemosis, an adema of the conjunctivi. The simple cure was anti-bacterial eye drops and applications of a wet compress. As of today, Tuesday, I am as good as cured.

This isn't a picture of my eye, but is exactly what it looked like...ewwww.....!

Friday and Saturday...Pre-Ick...

2005-08-09T22:21:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend, sorry it's taken me three days to actually post about mine. Usually I don't have very exciting weekends. They mainly just consist of V and I kicking back and catching up since we don't see each other during the week, things were a bit different this weekend however.

I did get together with V on Friday night for an experiment of sorts. My friend Tara had mentioned a pizza that she had ordered a few weeks prior and I couldn't get my mind off of it. Apparently, my favorite pizzeria in town had a well-kept secret. They had a Bianco sauce that I was unaware of. V and I decided to try it out and rent "The Pacifier" , also known as the worst movie ever. The pizza could've also been placed in that category. I've had much better and, as usual, the hype wasn't anything compared to the real thing.

I hadn't gone out with Becky for a while due to the boyfriend/work/general busy-ness of my life so when the opportunity arose to head to Soy City to see a familiar band, we thought we'd take it. Intrynsik had taken a brief hiatus to find a new guitar player and, for one of the members, to find a wife. Heh. They played at Lock, Stock, and Barrel. Being that it was the weekend of the Celebration, we were fairly certain that the place would be packed and it was. However, before we actually had to yell at each other to be heard, the inappropriate comments made by the band's sound guy regarding my breasts and his plans for them were perfectly audible. Eventually the place filled up, we drank up, and found ourselves dancing on chairs for the remainder of the evening, not so much as to be risky, but to see over the crowd. (Sorry again Courtney for chasing you away and giving you a scare...) The band was awesome, playing all of the great covers that we were akin to and adding some of their newest material in their set as well. It left us anxiously awaiting the new CD, more gigs, and left Weezer's "Beverly Hills" in my head for the remainder of the weekend.

(Becky's tribute to an ex-boyfriend & Todd being honest...note how well their shirts go together...)

(Me dancing and playing the Nuggets, a housesitting gift from Beck...yes, that is my gut hanging out of my shirt...I apologize)

(Me and Becks...Woo-Hoo!)

(I refuse to leave one stranger un-danced upon!)

Things That I Think You Should Know...

2005-08-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

1) I'm going to Farm Aid this year...and I couldn't be more excited...unless the Barenaked Ladies were going to be there too...

2) Dar Williams is going to be in St. Louis next April...and I'm going to be there too...couldn't be better...unless, of course, the Barenaked Ladies were going to be there too.

3) I've started a blog for the Ursuline Academy class of 1995. If you're familar with the class, myself, or UA, feel free to check it out.

4) My friend Derrick, who lives in D.C., is not only one cool mo-fo, but the rockinest female impersonator ever...and he has a blog.

5) My friend Daniel, who lives in NYC, also has a great site where you can download a new podcast full of great music every week.

6) The movie version of "Rent" is going to be released in November...check out the trailer and read news about the film here.

7) I believe that this is the coolest cake ever...and I will make it...someday.

8) As of today, I only have to work 3 days for the next two weeks...Hoorah for vacation! On August 20, I will be celebrating my four year anniversary at my current job. Go me!!

Me and V

2005-08-01T23:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess it gets to that point in every relationship where a crucial decision has to be made. Are V and I finally there? I realized it this weekend when we attended a wedding for two of his co-workers that got hitched. Just as the Spartans need their perfect cheer, V and I need the perfect song. I'm not quite sure what the purpose of having a song is, but I chuckled as I watched the bride and groom dancing to "Love of a Lifetime" by Firehouse. I think that songs are usually selected based on the song that is playing during a significant point in a relationship. Maybe it was the song that was playing when he dropped you off after your first date or maybe the song that was playing when you shared your first kiss or maybe the song that was playing when you told each other that you loved the other for the first time. Blech! I want the cheeziest, lamest, most fun song that can be thought of. V and I really aren't ones for sentimentality.

Please Help Us!!!

Submit suggestions below... Thanks!

Friday Funnies...

2005-07-29T08:53:00.000-05:00

I came across the most brilliant collection of "lightbulb" jokes so I thought I'd share my favorites. Enjoy!

Q: How many Irishmen does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: 10. One to actually change the bulb and 9 to drink until the room spins.

Q: How many Catholics does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Three, but they're really only One.

Q: How many Feminists does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: One...and that's not funny!

Q: How many Jewish mothers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None, I'll just sit here in the dark, and this pain I have --- oy vey, you should never know...

Q: How many sound engineers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: One-two, One-two, One-two

Q: How many Yuppies does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Two, one to mix the martinis and the other to call the electrician.

Q: How many kids with ADD does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Mmm...cookies! Wanna go ride bikes?

Q: How many Bush Administration Officials does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None. There is nothing wrong with the lightbulb; it's conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are a delusional spin from the liberal media. That lightbulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?

Q: How many country singers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Four. One to change it, one to sing about how heart-broken he is at the loss of the old one, one to sing about how madly in love she is with the new one, and one to go "Yeeehaw" and throw his hat in the air.

Q: How many Emo kids does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None - they just sit in the dark, rock back and forth and cry...

Q: How many fratboys does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None. They don't screw in lighbulbs, they screw in pools of vomit.

Q: How many Freudians does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Two. One to change the bulb and one to hold my penis...I mean, my mother...I mean, the ladder.

Q: How many Lawrence Welk fans does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: A one and a two and a... (don't groan, you guys totally saw that one coming....)

Q: How many pimps does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Two, one to hold the bulb and one to drive the pink Cadillac around in circles.

Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: One, but it really has to want to change.

Q: How many sorority girls does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Ten. One to call daddy and 9 more to make t-shirts about the event.

Q: How many Viagra users does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: One little tablet and it's a whole new bulb.

Q: How many moms does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Just one, YOURS! (my personal favorite...)

Q: How many Republicans does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None. They only screw the poor.

Q: How many smokers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Five. If they all stand around and light up then the bulb will eventually too.

Q: One.
A: How many psychics does it take to change a lightbulb?

Q: How many flies does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: Only two, but you have to figure out how to get them in there first.

Q: Do you know how many musicians it takes to change a lightbulb?
A: No, but hum a few bars and I'll fake it. (that one is just for you, Brian)

Q: How many Dylan fans does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Q: How many Goths does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None. They prefer everything black anyway.

Q: How many witches does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: It depends on what you want them to change it into.

Q: How many women with PMS does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None. You can change the damn thing yourself.

Q: How many midgets does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: It depends on how high the ceiling is!

Q: How many doctors does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: That depends on if it has health insurance or not.

Q: How many paranoids does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Who wants to know? Why?

It's Almost Here...!

2005-07-28T10:06:00.000-05:00

I found this information today...An entire site dedicated to my soon-to-be-favorite possession, the Egg and Muffin Toaster! Take a look and put in your orders...I have a feeling they'll be flying off the shelf like another popular breakfast food, HOTCAKES!!!

"Candy Doesn't Have to Have a Point. That's Why It's Candy."

2005-07-28T09:12:00.000-05:00

Well, folks, I did it. As much as I protested about Johnny Depp being the new Willy Wonka, I broke down and saw "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" earlier this week, complete with my very own Wonka bar...sans Golden Ticket...to munch on during the film. (If that isn't a great promotion...but that's another post...) The movie was amazing! If you tell someone that you saw it, the first thing that they ask is if you liked it better than the original. To me, they were two totally different movies. Thanks to director Tim Burton, we are taken into a darker world of "pure imagination" if you will, to join in the journey of five of the luckiest (and the most annoying) kids on Earth. This version of the film follows Roald Dahl's book more closely, right down to the surprise ending. Of course, I'm sure that Mr. Dahl could never have expected his book to turn out quite like this.

I went into the theater, as I said earlier, having issues with Johnny Depp (who doesn't even like chocolate...) playing the role of Wonka. Rumors flew around last year that he was given the role over others whom I'm thought would have fit the role a bit better such as Steve Martin, Jim Carrey, and Robin Williams. Now that I've seen the film, I can't see anyone more perfect for the part. The above mentioned would definitely have seemed out of place in this backdrop. This has everything to do with Tim Burton's signature quirkiness. If anyone else had directed it, the results may not have turned out so well for Depp. I had heard lots of things about Depp's interpretation of Wonka from it had a suttle Michael Jackson-ish feel to it all the way to Depp made the audience feel like they were watching a creepy pedophile. I liked Depp right immediately. He almost reminded me of Ed Wood with a wig. I think that the flashbacks to his childhood, which weren't in the book, but based on Burton's childhood experiences, really were effective in helping us gain the right amount of sympathy for Depp. This allowed us to cheer for him and hate all of the kids a little more. Again, Depp was brilliant and no one would have fit this role better. His strange, pastey-faced version of Wonka fit right in to Burton's vision.

I didn't really view this as a kid's movie after I saw it. I think that it would be scary for some, just like the original. I remember watching the original with a foreign exchange student from Korea in college and he made me turn the channel when he saw the "boat ride" scene. This version had violence, rabid squirrels, and adult jokes about cannibalism, which was my favorite quote in the movie, btw. If you've seen anything that Tim Burton has directed, then you know what kind of darkness to expect. You also know how delightful the fantasy can be.

Oh, and wasn't Deep Roy the cutest Oompa-Loompa ever? So talented!

Has anyone else had the "Willy Wonka Welcome" song in their head constantly since they walked out of the theater??

Here's some Willy Wonka Trivia that I ran across...

244,993 gallons of fake chocolate was used on the set of the movie, 38,000 was used for the waterfall alone.
Marilyn Manson wanted to play the part of Willy Wonka so badly that he offered to do it for free.
The singing voice of the Oompa Loompas belonged to Danny Elfman, the composer for the film, who overdubbed his voice dozens of times.
Deep Roy played every Oompa Loompa himself, repeating the same movements hundreds of times. While these were put together digitally, each Oompa Loompa represents a separate performance by Roy. In recognition of this, his salary was raised to $1,000,000.
The toothpaste factory where Charlie's dad worked was called "Smilex." This is also the name of the gas used by the Joker in the first "Batman" movie.
A camera lens wasn't correctly attached when trying to get a shot of a vat of chocolate. As a result, the lens fell off, destroying it.
Martin Scorsese was originally pegged to direct the film.
The screenwriter for the film had never seen the original movie.
110,000 plastic chocolate bars were made and wrapped in Nestle wrappers.
Nestle provided almost 2,000 bars of chocolate for the film.
The lollipops on the trees, the giant pink sugar canes, and the giant humbugs were real candy.
It took 20 weeks to build Wonka's boat, which really did float on the chocolate river.

The Final Countdown

2005-07-25T21:21:00.000-05:00

Well, at 10:39 a.m. EST Tuesday morning, millions of dollars are headed to space in the form of the space shuttle Discovery. As of right now, everything is still a-go. We'll see what happens at 10:30 a.m. EST. I'm not saying that I don't have faith, I'm just saying that NASA's track record is no secret. Still, according to NASA's web site, you have to be amazed by the facts they share.

- The space shuttle goes from standing still on the launch pad to going more than 17,000 miles per hour in just over 8 minutes.

- There are more than 326 million trillon gallons of water on Earth.

- Data from satellite instruments are used by fishermen to find areas where fish are most likely to be found. (So that's where all the money is going...I thought we were wasting it just for the halibut...get it?)

- At any given moment, there are 1,800 thunderstorms happening somewhere on Earth.

- Around the world, the ozone layer averages about 3 millimeters thick, about the same as two pennies stacked on top of each other.

You can watch Tuesday's launch of the Discovery live here.

The Astronaut's Prayer

"Dear Lord, please don't let us fuck up."

Hope Ya Had a Great One..

2005-07-25T09:13:00.000-05:00

Hello All! Happy Monday!

I decided this morning that I wanna take Frank's advice and "be a part of it"...now I can with this webcam. It's even complete with the noice and hustle and bustle of being in NYC. I'm gonna dedicate today's post to the guy pictured above. His name is Dave Potterbaum and he's headed to NYC tomorrow to take the Bar Exam so that he can get set up with a firm there. Just one more person I know who lives in NYC who I don't get around to visiting. Maybe I'll try a little harder this time. If he passes the Bar after all, it's time for a celebration!

Good Luck, Dave!

Just one more thing...I came across this interesting search engine. Check it out, I'm sure that it'll be helpful to you too. The format does look a little familiar...hmmm...where have I seen it before?

Welcome Lisa!

2005-07-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Lisa just started her own blog about her on-going quest to find the right guy, traveling, and other Lisa-type stuff. Feel free to check it out!

Anybody else know of any blogs that they read regularly and would like to share with the rest of the world??

My Schlong is Longer Than Yours...

2005-07-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

My high school friend, Jack, sent me this pic and I couldn't resist sharing it with y'all. This event ranks right up there with me attending RuPaul's Underwear Party last weekend in Madison (pics on their way, I promise...). Anyway, Jack hung out with Ron Jeremy at the Pimp/Ho Ball in Denver. The setting for the Ball was in an old Catholic church that has been de-sanctified and turned into a bar. Classy!!

Misc. Friday...

2005-07-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I have a couple of interesting links for ya...

Ever wonder if there was a sex offender in your neighborhood? Check out the National Sex Offender Registry. It'll give you a mug shot and a street map. You can even search by city, county or zip code.

Now for a little Friday fun...check out this site that has supposedly been created by The Gap. You can create a virtual person to your liking, dress them up, and then watch them do a sexy strip tease as they change into their new outfit. It's great! Loved it!

Count Me In !!

2005-07-21T23:15:00.000-05:00

Tell me now and tell me quickly...Who in the hell wouldn't want one of these????

I am addicted to kitchen gadgets and Back to Basics has developed this amazing invention that will allow me to partake in an Egg McMorgan every day. How perfect!

"Need toast? You've got it. Want a poached or hard boiled egg? It's yours. And if you want them together in your favorite breakfast sandwich, the Egg & Muffin Toaster also warms your pre-cooked meat. Bingo...ready to eat in about four minutes. It's sort of the drive-thru breakfast without the drive. One more way Back to Basics helps you make the foods you love."

The Egg & Muffin Toaster will be hitting stores this September...Everyone line up behind me!!

The 100th Post...Hooray!

2005-07-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

I decided that I would also add some fun British slang courtesy of my friend, Ali, who lives in Essex. I believe that the discussion started after listening to a bit of The Streets music that he reccomended. He called me a fool when I questioned the lyrics and said, "What's wrong with you girl? It's all pretty plain English!"

"geezer" = man

"necking it" = french kissing

"queue" = a line of people waiting for something

"bird" = woman

"mashed" = drunk

"ITV" = TV station, number 3 after BBC1 and BBC2

"keen" - eager

"laryness" = the state of being argumentative

"2 plates of full English" = 2 English breakfasts on plates

"don't mug yourself" = don't beat yourself up

"pulling" = as in "pulling a bird" , ex: "grab your coat, you've pulled" can mean getting a snog (kiss), shag (laid), or finding a girl to have fun with

"spanner" = fool, idiot

Does anyone have any good slang/terms that they'd like to share? Post 'em here!

Can it be?? For Real??

2005-07-20T21:56:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! I'm baaaack for good this time, ready to return to my daily blogging. Three cheers for Vincent for getting my computer up and running! Hoorah!

It's been a while since I've posted any pics and it's exciting to see the new system that Blogger is using...so easy! I can't wait to get my pics from this past weekend loaded onto my computer...nothing but fun and excitement for me all the time!

The above pic caught my eye...notice anything strange (or perhaps suggestive) about the subtitles? That's what ya get when you use interns...heh.

Ahhh...it's great to be back!

More Slang that You Should Probably Be Aware Of...

2005-07-19T21:08:00.000-05:00

Now that summer is here, I've recently learned of some lingo of which we should all be familiar with...Learn well, my friends...

a.c. pee - That nasty drip from an air conditioning unit. Also known as "liquid garbage."

condenversation - The exchange of sweat by people in close quarters such as dance floors and elevators.

despair conditioning - An unexpected waft of cool air that is once disgusting and welcome in 90-degree heat.

filmic moment - A glistening sheen of sweat on your body or your belongings, and the realization that the sweat may not be your own.

glute glue - The cohesive agent that develops on the backs of thighs in July, forcing one to peel them off park benches, car seats, or bar stools.

little white line - The thong outline seen on girls wearing the wrong white pants.

pit fall - The unavoidable underarm stains one gets from wearing tight, nonbreathable tees.

shamtonite - Summer house freeloader

skimplify - To reduce the amount of cloth used to cover the body.

She's baaaaack...

2005-07-09T22:09:00.000-05:00

Indeed I am...

Missed you guys...Vincent is still working on my computer so there is a small glimmer of hope that things will turn around and I can get back to my daily blogging...I really do miss it...even though there isn't really a whole lot to report on right now...

Let's see what I can think of anyway...

1) Vincent and I spent the day at Pine Lakes resort with my mother and her boyfriend. I rode in a golf cart for the first time and we visited Mark Twain caves...a little cold and creepy.

2) Vincent and I are heading to Madison this coming weekend to visit Jason and his new girlfriend, Crystal. While there we're going to be attend, now this is no lie, an "underwear party" hosted by RuPaul and opera in the park. I think that we're also going to be able to head up to the Dells to visit an old co-worker and her husband for breakfast....it should be nice and I'm looking forward to it.

3) A big "shout-out" to my friend Tara, who was informed today that she passed the physical agility test for the Illinois State Police....Hoorah! She was even able to drag the dummy through the window without it's head coming off...

4) Vincent just made the most horrible sound every in the bathroom...not poop-related, but more of a hacking, coughing, wretching sound....thanks!

5) My friend Ali, who lives in London, has been found safe and sound following this week's tragedy. I hadn't heard from him for a number of days, so I'm glad to know that he's doing well. My thoughts are with England at this time...

6) Vincent and I went to a fun Sherlock Holmes exhibit in Peoria today where we met up with a couple of his college friends and an old high school friend of mine and had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack...Tasty!

7) Due to lack of nothing better to do in the evening of the 23rd of this month, my friend Regena got tix to see Fantasia, the winner of "American Idol - Season 3"...not sure how excited I am, but that girl certainly can blow!

Well, wish things were back to normal because I have lots of fun pics to share...I'm working on it...well, Vincent is really the one working on it so we should be up and going soon...we shall see...

As far as upcoming adventures with me, I have the Wisconsin trip next weekend, a Mr. O show at the "Taste of Downtown" where they'll be recording a live CD (please come out and join...if you haven't seen a Mr. O show before I can guarantee that you'll be impressed...and what better reason to go than to see me, right?), a trip to the new vineyards in Oakford, IL which includes a performance by The Oohs. These are the activities that are leading me to the end of the month. We'll see if I survive...should be a fun one! I promise I'll be back soon, but keep the e-mails comin'!

Peace, Love and Crabs,
Jodi

Remember Me??

2005-06-26T20:43:00.000-05:00

Hello Lovahs!

Tis I...jus wanted to again let you know that I was alive and doing quite well. At this point in time, I'm enjoying my summer vacation. Well, actually not enjoying my own, but enjoying everyone else's. Not that I mind at all, but I think that I'm going to have to take a second job as a professional house-sitter. I'm getting quite good at it. If you can believe it, I'm going to be sitting around 3 houses at one time...quite a feat!

Indiana went well for those who have e-mailed me asking about it. The parents were great. Shared a bottle of wine with Mrs. T, joked with the sibs, and conquered the Indiana Sand Dunes...or should I say that they conquered me...?

Life is good. Hope yours is going well too!

Keep the banter comin'! beatls8@hotmail.com

-jodi-

Suddenly Sunday...

2005-06-12T10:56:00.000-05:00

So, it's Sunday...I'm hanging out trying to catch up on e-mails and such, when I thought that I'd stop by and write a bit. Hope everyone is doing well...

I'm heading to Indiana next weekend for Father's Day...my dad doesn't live there, but it's kind of a "meet the parents" experience that hopefully will go quite well...I'll be sure to fill ya in.

Anything else exciting happening with me? Not so much...I went on a hike last weekend and three ticks found me irresistable...that was pretty cool...

Work is work...still trying to adjust to the position/schedule change...Thanks to everyone who came out to support Sojourn last weekend at the First Annual SoJo Music Fest. Congrats to Eric for pulling off the whole entire successful event! Can't wait to see what's in store for next year! Fun was had by all, the weather was great, and we all got to hear what Mr. O has in store for their newest CD. It all sounds great so far...Be sure to check them, and myself, out at the "Party on the Patio" event at Cheddar's in Springfield on June 21 at 6:30.

Well, until we meet again soon,
MORGAN OUT!

My Apologies...

2005-06-02T17:31:00.000-05:00

I've been receiving tons of e-mail requesting my return and I'm LOVING IT!! I'll be back soon, I promise. I'm having massive computer problems at home and until my smart computer-literate friend Joe can make his way over, my computer is pretty much just serving time as a giant paperweight. The past month has been insane! I've been busy planning my 10-year high school reunion (which was a success, thank you very much), working odd shifts at work, and dealing with a host of many other things...maybe you'll find out more later...

Anyway, thanks for all of the support and I'll TRY to post at least weekly. Until then, keep the e-mails and comments comin'. Talk to ya soon!

-Jodi-
beatls8@hotmail.com

Celebrity WTF??

2005-05-10T09:19:00.000-05:00

So, it seems as if Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger got married on Monday in the Virgin Islands. This could be the most unexpected celeb match-up for me since Bennifer. I have to give the new Mrs. Chesney props, based on the last group of famous guys she's been with, I think she's settled with the best looking. Mr. Chesney on the other hand...well, I suppose that he really, really likes horses...and women who kinda resemble them. Ouch! Um, Congrats!

Speaking of Ben, he and Jennifer #2 are expecting their first child in November. Such "Daredevils"!

Tara Reid and Tommy Lee...I can't really think of anything witty to say. No jokes here, they're both a little slutty, perfect match. I think that it's official, however, we now know that Tommy is definitely a boob man.

Britney got dissed over the weekend when Madonna turned down her offer to become Fetus Spears' godmother. When I think of someone to be a good influence on my child and help guide them spiritually in the right direction, who wouldn't think of Madonna? Oh well...maybe Britney can just give Christina a call. She's got values a-plenty.

I haven't seen the flick, but rumor has it that Paris Hilton is offed in "House of Wax". I've also heard that in theaters around the country, the audience bursts into applause at her demise. Here is one of the promo shirts for the movie...clever.

Implausible Claims Made By Vanilla Ice in his 1990 #1 Hit "Ice Ice Baby"

2005-05-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

"Ice is back with a brand-new invention."

"Turn off the lights and I'll glow."

"I rock a mic like a vandal."

"I'm killin' your brain like a poisionous mushroom."

"I'm cookin' MCs like a pound of bacon."

"I go crazy when I hear a cymbal and a high hat."

"I grabbed my nine."

"I'm a lyrical poet."

"My style's like a chemical spill."

"If my rhyme was a drug, I'd sell it by the gram."

"If there was a problem, yo, I'd solve it."

Thanks to Doug Erickson for today's zen...

Is She Really Going Out With Him ??

2005-05-09T10:04:00.000-05:00

Lessons from the Weekend...

2005-05-08T23:37:00.000-05:00

If there is a vehicle in the parking lot of your place of employment for an extended period of time, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's someone who is there to do harm...there could be possible undercover drug surveillance going on.

It's not always wise to run a tab at a bar when everyone at your table knows you're running a tab.

Not all marked trails will lead you back to the starting point, sometimes you have to take your chance going in and backtrack when you get tired.

Sometimes you can be disppointed when you don't get scared.

Don't fuck up a good thing while it's going even if you know the end isn't so far away.

Occassionally you realize that you dated a guy when you really should have been dating his cute brother who is a professional chef who can make up an outstanding pasta recipe on the spot...with a marinara sauce you actually like.

There really can be too much of a good thing...you should have seen the size of the omelette I had this morning...

It feels great to be organized, especially if the organization makes someone else feel better.

No matter how hard you try, you can never, ever, ever psych yourself up for a Monday...blech.

2005-05-08T23:26:00.000-05:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!!

Not "Big Pussy" Too...

2005-05-05T18:50:00.001-05:00

First Scott Savol, now Vincent Pastore, who played, before he got whacked by Tony and Paulie, "Big Pussy" on HBO's "The Sopranos." Thank goodness he's no longer on the show because this would be a boycott that I don't know if I could handle...

It appears that Pastore, who is free without bail, has also been having some issues with a past incident of violence against his ex-girlfriend. According to the AP, he has plead not guilty to four misdemeanors, two being counts of assault and one each of attempted assault and harassment, in regards to an alleged attack on his girlfriend which occurred last month. According to the victim, Pastore punched her in the back of the head, pulled her hair, and forced her head down so that she struck her eye on the gear shift in their car. He also grabbed her forcefully by the arm and pulled her out of the car, forcing her to hit her head on the door frame. Pastore says that the victim fell out of the car backward into the street and hurt her lower back. He then drove away from the scene.

Pastore was offered a plea deal today in which he would be sentenced to five days of community service, required to attend a batterers' program, and would have to sign a final order of protection. Will Pastore accept the plea? More than likely, his attorney hints that he will react to the plea offer with a big, fat "Fuhgeddah 'bout it..."

You would have thought he would have learned a lesson from the fate of "Big Pussy"...you wrong someone you love, you may just end up sleeping with the fishes...or right next to a large, hairy guy named Bubba...Capisce?

Why I Love This Man...

2005-05-05T18:42:00.000-05:00

I love him because he's cute as heck...and oh so talented...Did I mention funny? Wait, did I already say that he was cute?

It was just announced that he was going to be hosting the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. When asked about how he felt regarding the honor, he responded, "I'm kinda bummed because I thought I had a shot at being named Pope...but this is cool, too."

Also, we almost have the same glasses...Hoorah!

I Hate American Idol...

2005-05-04T20:39:00.000-05:00

but I'm happy to hear that Scott is leaving...Happy Birthday Anthony!

The Reviews are in.....

2005-05-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

Read 'em here...

Ooh-zin' with Pop

2005-04-30T22:23:00.000-05:00

I can't deny it anymore...I've nothin' but big love for these guys. If you've read all of the other stuff that I've written about them, you'll understand why I think The Oohs are one of the best things to happen to this town in forever...possibly even bigger than the Lincoln Complex...

Frank (the flirty one), Jim (the shy one), Brian (the married one), Brian (the single one)

This is an especially big weekend for The Oohs and I just want to wish them luck on their performance at the International Pop Overthrow (i don't think it's related to Material Issue...) in Chicago at the Wise Fool's Pub. On Sunday, they'll get to perform a full half-hour of their amazing, oh-so-catchy, original material. I got a very small taste of their new stuff last night when I saw them...they kicked as usual. I, as well as quite a few others, am waiting for the new CD to come out later this summer. Don't worry, I'll let you know so you can be the first on your block to grab it. Rumor has it that one song even has Frank on ukelele and Brian breakin' it down Dixie-land style...AND the new "Candy Apple Red 2005" with Jim on vocals. If you can't wait until the CD comes out and want to hear some of the new stuff, take a listen here (click on "MP3/Schedule"). You can check out the rotating songs that Brian posts regularly. While you're there, don't forget to sign-up for The Oohs mailing list. You'll get info. on the new releases, upcoming performances, and run-ins with pesky bar owners who've done them wrong. (tee-hee...)

Just to share with everyone..."O.K. with That", my favorite song by The Oohs and my personal highlight at every performance, is currently the #1 most played song on my itunes playlist...Yes, I love it just that much...check out a sample in the itunes music store.

If you're in the area and interested in seeing The Oohs play live, they'll be playing this Friday, May 6, at the Trading Post Saloon. Hopefully Brian won't get popped in the mouth with the mic again...

What Do I Have in Common with Dub-ya ??

2005-04-29T09:46:00.000-05:00

I have recently discovered that I have one, and only one, thing in common with President Bush. We are both deeply in love...with our iPods. While I received mine from Winter as a birthday gift, he received his from his daughters. As for actually being able to download music, it's reported that he isn't familiar with how to do that, but rather leaves it up to his aides. What I wouldn't give to be part of that crew...Can you see Bush jogging along and realizing that Snoop Dogg is playin' on his "iPizzle"? Nice. It seems as if his playlist is quite eclectic, but no one can figure out what it has to say about the man. Check it out yourself...

Dum Dum - Brenda Lee

Do I Have to Say the Words? - Bryan Adams

Uhh Ahh - Boyz II Men

Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm - Crash Test Dummies

Words Get in the Way - Miami Sound Machine

Yakety Yak - The Coasters

Thank God I'm A Country Boy - John Denver

The Fool on the Hill - The Beatles

I Can't Help Myself - The Four Tops

I'm a Fool - Dino, Desi and Billy

A Fool Never Learns - Andy Williams

Somethin' Stupid - Nancy Sinatra

Don't Know Much - Aaron Neville

If I Only Had a Brain - Ray Bolger

See the Funny Little Clown - Bobby Goldsboro

Monkey Time - Major Lance

Funny Face - Donna Fargo

Funny Way of Laughin' - Burl Ives

Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin

You Cheated, You Lied - The Sheilds

Why Don't You Believe Me? - Joni James

Lead Me On - Maxine Nightengale

Liar - Three Dog Night

Unbelieveable - EMF

Two Faces Have I - Lou Christie

Would I Lie to You? - Charles and Eddie

Misled - Kool and the Gang

Fortunate Son - John Fogerty

Toy Soldier - Martika

I Don't Wanna Fight - Tina Turner

Run Away - Real McCoy

I Ran - Flock of Seagulls

Coward of the Country - Kenny Rogers

The Great Pretender - The Platters

One Tin Soldier - Coven

Wasted On the Way - Crosby, Stills and Nash

Catch Us If You Can - The Dave Clark Five

You Got Lucky - Tom Petty

For the Love of Money - The O'Jays

Get Money - Junior M.A.F.I.A.

Money - The Kingsmen

Money - Pink Floyd

Money Honey - Bay City Rollers

Take the Money and Run - Steve Miller Band

Taking Care of Business - Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Money for Nothing - Dire Straits

Steal Away - Robbie Dupree

Nothing from Nothing - Billy Preston

Get a Job - The Silhouettes

The World is a Ghetto - War

What a Fool Belives - The Doobie Brothers

I Don't Want to Wait - Paula Cole

One Track Mind - Bobby Lewis

Dangerous - Roxette

Insensitive - Jann Arden

I Go To Extremes - Billy Joel

Crazy - Patsy Cline

Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire

Can't Stop This Thing We Started - Bryan Adams

Bad Time - Grand Funk

Too Much, Too Little, Too Late - Deniece Williams

Too Late to Turn Back Now - Cornelius Brothers

In Too Deep - Genesis

Take It to the Limit - The Eagles

So Sad - The Everly Brothers

Tragedy - Thomas Wayne

Don't Look Back - Boston

I Did It My Way - Frank Sinatra

Don't Blame Me - Nat King Cole

Don't Ask Me Why - Elvis Presley

I Keep Forgettin' - Michael McDonald

Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go's

No One is to Blame - Howard Jones

I Can't Tell You Why - The Eagles

Leave Me Alone - Helen Reddy

I Should Care - Mel Torme

I Don't Care - Bad Company

Hard to Say I'm Sorry - Chicago

Take it Easy on Me - Little River Band

Don't Worry, Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin

You didn't actually think that I was going to be nice, did you?

I Love Nerds...

2005-04-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

Thanks to an anonymous poster at this site, it's now known to everyone why nerds are the best lovers of all...

1) Nerds are well-meaning 9 out of 1o times, as opposed to that sly guy with the toothy grin and wandering hands...

2) Nerds always call when they say they will. Major points there.

3) Nerds are useful. In this tech-saavy world, it's great to have a guy who can make your laptop, desktop, and just about anything that plugs into the wall behave itself.

4) Nerds are romantic. Although their idea of romance is designing a spiffy web page naming all of the reasons why they love you, it will last longer than flowers...plus you can show it your friends.

5) There are plenty of nerds to choose from. You like skinny boys with glasses? You like them shorter with a few extra pounds? Have your pick.

6) Nerds are smart. You can never have too much intelligence in a man. They're usually well-educated, physics majors and the like. You won't have to listen to him blather on about his car, he'll have more worldly things to discuss.

7) Nerds are good at remembering things. They'll remember your shoe size, your birthday, or your best friend's cats' name if they know it will make you happy. They've had plenty of time to memorize things, lists and such...Can you imagine the list that they've put together for things that they would like to do once they finally GOT a girlfriend??

8) That leads us to this: Nerds know sex. Imagine all that time they've spent thinking about sex, dreaming about sex, imagining sex coupled with a desire to make you happy...wow...

9) Nerds are low-maintenence. Most nerds can be fueled with Mountain Dew and Twinkies. No need to make fancy dinners here. Just have the number to the nearest Domino's handy...

10) Nerds go to bars about as frequently as slugs go to salt mines. You won't have to worry about your guy getting his groove on with the club hotties because he'll be too busy rooting around his computer wondering where that spare cable went. You won't have to worry about him flirting because he'll zip past those mad honies to get to the nearest electronics store as fast as he can.

11) Nerds compromise easily. He may not want to attend every outing with you, but he's willing to arrange "swaps." You attend his Game Con dressed like an elf princess and he'll take you to the ballet.

12) Nerds don't have friends that are jerks. They will treat you with the utmost respect and even awe. A cute girl has selected one of their clan to date? Hope! It could happen to them!

13) Nerds aren't judgemental. They trust you so you can be yourself around them. They don't care what you're wearing, if you're sporting make-up or not, whether you've washed your hair, if you've gained a few pounds...it doesn't matter to them. They won't make you feel like crap.

14) Nerds will never say, "Yaw Dawg Whazzup?", unless it's in jest. They spell correctly, they use proper punctuation, and are able to tell the difference between a toilet and the floor.

The final reason why nerds make great boyfriends....

15) Nerds care about you. They like you for you. That kind of thing lasts longer than "Damn Baby, you've got a nice ass!" Believe me.

What the hell??

2005-04-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

It appears that American Idol has turned dysfunctional...

1) Why is Scott Savol still on American Idol?

I've remained true to my AI boycott, but it's hard to avoid hearing Wednesday's nights results if you're awake on Thursday. I'm incredibly confused and concerned about the voters out there. Society is basically saying that physical abuse is okay and one should even be rewarded for it. Although I'm disappointed about the situation, it also motivates me to work a little harder on my part to promote education on the seriousness of the issue of domestic violence. Unbelieveable! God help us if he wins...

2) What's the deal with Paula and the contestants?

Allegations have also been released, according to Corey Clark's new book, that when he was a contestant on Season 2, he was involved romantically with Paula. WTF? Who's next? Constantine? No, wait, he was voted off the show last night, wasn't he?

3) Hey Bo, What Do Ya Blow?

It seems that AI contestant Bo Bice is the latest member to have his police run-ins unveiled. In 2001, Bice was arrested for felony cocaine possession and again in 2003 for marijuana possession. Again, Bice was apolgetic and forthcoming with the news so he was allowed to keep his spot in the top twelve. Several fans of the show are now suggesting that Paula's beloved Constantine be brought back to the show to replace Bice and his bad rep.

BIG NEWS...

2005-04-24T21:41:00.000-05:00

But only the privileged can know about it right now...maybe someday soon...yay?

A Lesson from CAKE:

2005-04-22T12:40:00.000-05:00

Here are some facts that I found interesting, thanks to my new best friends, CAKE.

The U.S. is 49th in the world in literacy
The U.S. ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy
20% of Americans think that the sun orbits the Earth
American businesses spend $30 billion yearly on remedial training
Due to cuts by Congress, the National Science Foundation will issue less than 1,000 grants this year
The World Health Organization ranked the U.S. 37th in overall health performance and 54th in the fairness of health care, even though the U.S. spends more money per capita for health care than any other nation in the world...hmmm...
The U.S. and South Africa are the only two countries that don't provide health care for all of their citizens
Lack of health insurance is responsible for 18,000 unecessary deaths a year
Mexico is the only country after the U.S. that ranks the highest in childhood poverty
The U.S. ranks 41st in the world in infant mortality
Women are 70% more likely to die in childbirth in the U.S. than in Europe
The leading cause of death to pregnant women in the U.S. is murder
Americans work longer hours and take less vacation time, but is still ranked last in total compensation to its workforce
In a recent survey of the world's 50 best companies, all but one were European
The U.S. has lost 1.3 million jobs to China in the past decade
U.S. employers eliminated 1 million jobs in 2004
In the next ten years, Brazil will surpass the U.S. as the world's largest agricultural producer
79,279,000 eligible voters didn't show up to the polls last November. If this many Iraqis don't show up for their election, no country in the world would think that election was legitimate.
Americans spend more money on gambling than movies, videos, DVD's, music, and books combined
Nearly one out of four Americans believe that using violence to get what they want is acceptable
43% of Americans believe that torture is sometimes justified
Nearly 900,000 children were abused or neglected in 2002, the last year for which such data is available

I Like CAKE !!

2005-04-22T09:56:00.000-05:00

It happened, it's done and over with and I'm still reeling. Wednesday night, Jen and I went to see CAKE in Champaign. The show was amazing!

We reached the Assembly Hall in record time. I was able to turn the 1.5 hour drive into a 45-minute venture. I don't know if I was just really excited or I was trying to beat the oncoming storm, but we made it. Along the way, we jammed out to CAKE, of course. Jen and I usually have a hard time staying on task so, as usual, we multi-tasked in the car. Jen was able to make this kick-ass sign to hold up to passing motorists while I drove at warp speeds. (pic coming soon...) We also managed to down an entire bag of Flamin' Hot Munchies.

When we reached the Assembly Hall, we snagged a great parking space close to the door for a small fee of $5. The investment was worth it if we were welcomed by a downpour after the show. Not surprisingly, we also learned that everything else inside the Assembly Hall was not worth the money. We ended up paying $5 for a small drink and a hot dog. Band T-shirts, nothing that you couldn't get on the band's website, were selling for $25 a pop.

We meandered around the building for a while we waited for the first band to begin. It was announced at this time that the first band would start at 7:30, the second at 8:30, and CAKE at 10:00, a little later than we expected. Jen and I were excited when we found our seats. They were dead-center in the seventh row, high enough up to see over all of the UIUC students who had used their discount for general admission, standing room only spots.

Maybe because the place was swarming with students or the fact that sports were actually played in the hall, but there was a nasty odor of locker room/stale unkept dorm floating in the air. The location of the entrance to the actual arena was perfect for us...close enough to the expensive food and right next to the table where we learned that CAKE would be autographing posters (pic to come...) for fans thanks to Virgin Megastores, the tour's sponsor. We picked up our posters and, luckily, Jen was carrying a normal sized purse compared to my small safari bag so she was able to tote the posters around convienently without them getting smashed.

The first band to play was "Robbers on High Street" from New York....brilliant...really, really great stuff. I was in love from the moment that they stepped onto the stage. It's really no secret that I'm in love with nerdy guys, especially smart nerdy guys, and especially, especially nerdy guys with musical talent and especially, especially, especially nerdy guys with big noses...it's a turn on, don't know why, always has been. I love them...I even have two t-shirts proclaiming so. Although the lead guitarist looked a little like an elf and I wasn't really close enough to assess the nose situation... Anyway, enough about my obsessions, the band was great. They sounded a little like Coldplay, but not quite emo enough and lacking too much Gwenyth to be Coldplay. I highly recommend their debut CD, "Tree City" . Give a happy listen to "Beneath the Trees", "Dig the Lightning", and "Big Winter." It's been the only thing I've listened to in my car since I've returned, and if you know me, you know how I can never listen to an entire CD without tiring of it and throwing something else in. These boys are gonna be huge I tell ya! And they've got a sense of humor to boot. If you've ever been to the Assembly Hall, you know that it is massive. They stepped on stage and the lead singer says, "I don't know how to react. We're used to playing bigger places than this. 2,500 is a pretty small venue for us." You know that this tour with CAKE was a big deal for them and their first real gig because they were packing up their own equipment when they were finished and carrying it off stage. You go guys!

The second band, which my lame ass had never heard of, but obviously had a pretty big following at UIUC was Gomez. They're six guys from England with an interesting alternative/celtic/acoustic/rootsy sound who evidently didn't think that the crowd was moving around enough. One member, who was playing keyboards and guitar and resembled Jack Black/Jack Osbourne, commented that in England "when Gomez plays, people fucking move around." This seemed to get the crowd going. They had a fun sound to them, however the lead singer, who reminded me for some reason of the Russian guy from "Rocky" and I have no idea why, didn't impress me. He was a little stiff and sounded too much like Eddie Vedder for my taste. The voice didn't go well with the music...again, just my opinion. Let the hate mail flow as it may...

Jen and I only sat through about six of their songs because we were anxious to meet the CAKE. When we went outside to the lobby, a huge line had already formed, but we assumed it would go rather quickly. An older female member of Assembly Hall security was playing bouncer, trying to round people up and explain the rules of standing in a line. I thought that we had all learned this in Kindergarten, but there must have been something additional that she thought we should know. I was waiting for her to bust out with "no buts, no cuts, no coconuts", but I was disappointed. So we waited and waited some more and waited a little longer...missing Gomez as we waited. There was a little bit of amusement as we read people's printed t-shirts that everyone, including myself, seem to be wearing now. One guy was wearing a Warrant "Cherry Pie" t-shirt, complete with Bobbi Brown's picture on the hood of a car and another guy was wearing a shirt that simply stated, "I'm going to blog this." I really need to get one of those. It made me chuckle.

CAKE finally came out and gathered around the table...and then we were informed by another Assembly Hall, rent-a-cop that they were only going to be meeting and autographing those things that belonged to the first 50 people in line. C'mon now! Jen was hoping to get her poster autographed for her 5-year old son who is also a CAKE fan, but bedtime prevented him from joining us. How disappointing! Jen and I even toyed with the idea of getting some strangers to just sign their names on the poster claiming that he'd never know the difference...and we would have...but we couldn't have lived with ourselves knowing how low we would stoop and what filthy lies we would tell to please little "E". Even though they didn't get to meet us up close and personal, we were still able to go up to the balcony right above and glare at them really hard with judgement, hoping that the pain would pierce their hearts just a little. I was surprised to see, and I'm not just saying this because they let us down tremendously, that they weren't the young spry guys that I thought they were. They looked like they could've been in their late 30's, early 40's. To cope with our feelings of despair and grief, Jen and I made up this little rap/rhyme/ditty:

"You guys called CAKE, You made a mistake. You didn't sign our posters so your discs are in our toasters."

Was their failure to engage in conversation enough to make us turn our backs on this group of guys we loved so much?

Jen and I returned to our seats ready to see if CAKE could possibly redeem themselves. As we waited for the show to start, we were trying to figure out if a nearby guy was holding a pink flamingo with no feet and no beak or if it was some type of model of a stomach...strange. The roadies unveiled a new backdrop, a serene little painting of mountains. CAKE in the Alps...nice.

The excited energy was building, the students were becoming restless, and the lights went down. The band approached the stage. Glorious sounds of applause and familiar tunes filled the air, while the miscellaneous musician to the singer's left played the trumpet and keyboard and the lead singer's unique voice began to do what it does best. I was amazed that the music sounded so much like it does on the CD. That may sound like a stupid comment, but CAKE's music is composed of lots of interesting and sometimes unidentifiable sounds, which I wasn't expecting to hear when they performed live. The lead singer was interactive with the crowd, subtley throwing out political opinions disguised as funny audience banter. For example, during one song where he was encouraging audience participation, he compared the top balconies and the main floor, stating that the people on the bottom were doing all of the work while those above were just sitting there trying to take credit. It was only one of several humorous moments throughout their show. The playlist is as follows, but not in the same order:

"Sheep Go to Heaven"

"Satan is My Motor" (During this song, he tried to get everyone to acknowledge their dark side and sing along...very amusing...)

"Mexico" ("because everyone loves a song in 3/4 time...")

"Never There"

"Wheels"

"No Phone"

"Comfort Eagle"

"Guitar"

"Frank Sinatra"

"Daria"

"The Distance"

"Stickshifts and Safetybelts" (they said that they very rarely ever play this one live..)

"Pentagram" (Encore) ("There are more important issues in the world than education and politics that we are forgetting about...")

"Jolene" (Encore) (dedicated to the "irritating motherfuckers" who wouldn't stop screaming in the their face throughout the show requesting this song...)

I was extremely surprised with the songs that they played or, rather, the songs that they chose not to play. The concert was obviously aimed at those old die-hard CAKE fans or else I'm sure they would've played their cover of "I Will Survive" or "Short Skirt/Long Jacket", the song that launched them back onto MTV after "The Distance" calmed down as well as the song that made them sell more copies of "Comfort Eagle" than any of their other CDs. I also thought that the show would be "Pressure Chief" heavy, but they only played 2 songs from their newest CD. Again, I think that they were presenting the show as a big old "thank you" to existing fans rather than being concerned with gaining new ones. I think that the main reason that I love CAKE so much, over than their music being so damn clever, is that I'll never have to worry about them pulling a "Janeane Garofalo" and selling out on me.

Toward the end of the show, the lead singer stated that he had bronchitis, but you wouldn't have been able to tell by the performance that he gave. He is an appreciative showman with a "don't give a shit unless it's good for humanity" kinda attitude. And that voice! Do I need to mention it again? So memorable...the music wouldn't be the same without him. I'm anxiously awaiting the release of a live CD...how much fun would that be?

Well, there you have it...my review of the evening in a nutshell. It was a great experience and can't wait to party on down with CAKE again soon...oh, and let's not forget the group of amazing groups of nerdy New York boys known as "Robbers on High Street" ...I'm serious...ya really gotta check 'em out!

Is It Just Me...

2005-04-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

or does the sound of an ice cream truck make you nauseated and creep you out?

Hoorah!

2005-04-21T13:42:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all the visitors who have checked me out daily...As of this moment, I've surpassed 2,000 site visits! Yay! It's not too shabby for a first time project that's only 5 months old...

Thanks for all of your support and keep those comments and e-mails coming!

-Jodes-

Lucky number 16

2005-04-20T10:07:00.000-05:00

Do you think that it's a coincidence that we welcomed Pope Benedict XVI (aka: "God's Rottweiler"??) to his new position yesterday and Abe Lincoln was the XVI-th President of the United States? And the smoke started streaming and bells started chiming in the Vatican at the exact same time the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Complex began? Maybe it's just me...

RAISE THE ROOF!

"To This Place I Owe Everything..."

2005-04-20T08:57:00.000-05:00

It was a HUGE day for Springfield yesterday! After months of waiting, hours of hard labor, $115 million, and thousands of cuss words from frustrated downtown drivers, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Complex is finally open.

The city has been eating, sleeping, and breathing Lincoln for the past week and Springfield has been crawling with these:

Ironically enough, the weekend celebration that kicked off the events was called "Looking for Lincoln." You must have been blind if you couldn't see him...

On Sunday, there was a massive $75,000 fireworks display/laser show courtesy of taxpayers. I missed the display due to a family crisis, but I heard that a small child with a laser pointer and a smoky cigar would've been a comparable example. However, this picture taken by the SJR's own Justin Fowler, makes them look pretty cool over the complex.

Monday night, the National Guard infiltrated the city. Once again the Feds put a damper on my social life...sigh. We were headed for Blues Night at the Alamo and were stopped on the way in by the owner stating that the guards told him that all activities planned for the bar that evening would have to be cancelled due to security preparations and all foot traffic in the downtown area would be halted in the downtown area at midnight. Watching security get set-up was the exact purpose of going to the Alamo, also to take in the newly opened beer garden in the gorgeous weather. The Alamo was catty-corner from the new Lincoln Complex so we thought we'd head to the inner-most downtown to another drinking establishment.

Let me preface this tale by saying that Springfield blocked off 42 blocks in preparation for the opening on Tuesday. This made parking very difficult. Imagine my surprise when I found a great close spot. As you'll find later, it wasn't as convienent as I had expected.

We ended up walking down to Floyd's, another fun Springfield hotspot. All of the downtown shops and restaurants have been decorating their front windows with Lincoln themes. This is what was in the window of a local popcorn shop. (yes, it's Abe's hat made of black popcorn...)

Floyd's cleverly decorated their window with a Simpson's theme, this is Springfield after all. Nice.

Every Monday night at Floyd's is "Your M.O.M.", a fun open mic night with a fairly large following. On this night, the bar was practically empty, but the boys were still setting up the equipment for those who wanted to brave downtown and take a step up at the mic. Once the event actually began, there was quite a crowd. Of course, each person who got up to sing and/or play dedicated their selection to either Honest Abe, George W., or "librarians in short plaid skirts", in honor of Tuesday's festivities.

The longer we sat and talked and the closer it got to midnight, the more concerned I got about my car. I kept trying to think of solutions in case my car was blocked in by the National Guard. I didn't want to have to rely on my mad Ninja skills to get me out of the jam. It wouldn't be pretty for either party. Jenny decided to meet a friend somewhere else so Lisa and I hung out by ourselves. Lisa was getting sleepy so we decided to leave. I had to walk a couple of blocks back to the car, but I wasn't particulary concerned about security because it was everywhere. However, once I got to my car, all of the excess security became an issue. The street on which I was parked was blocked on both ends with gun-wielding National Guard officers standing at the barricades. I really needed my car and couldn't wait until Tuesday night to get it. I walked over to a police officer that I spotted and, it could've been the short-ass skirt I was wearing, but he was more than willing to escort me, lights and all, out of the barricades onto a safer street.

Then comes Tuesday...the BIG DAY for Springfieldians! President Bush landed at the airport in his Air Force One (could he have been wearing a "perr" of Air Force Ones as well? No, probably not, Nelly is from St. Louis...) and headed straight to the complex. Rumor had it that Clinton, Bush Sr., and Carter were all going to attend the dedication ceremony, but they all had prior engagements. In order to attend the event, one had to have tickets and it sounded, as I listened to the dedication on the radio on my drive to work, that even the "standing room only" spots were packed. I was a little sad about missing the event, but the more I heard, the happier I was that I was tooling down the obstruction-free streets all alone.

As for the complex, it sounds really amazing, it certainly has a grand presence. I'll admit that when the idea was first introduced to the city, along with the price tag, my first thought was of how many citizens in need could be assisted with that much money. Being in social services, my mind just automatically drifts to those issues when the topic of funds is introduced. However, now, after seeing what I've seen of the museum without actually going inside, I think that it's going to be a great addition to Springfield. Growing up here where Lincoln is always the "talk of the town", I think that we sometimes take advantage of what this city has to offer us as well as the rest of the world. Hopefully, the new complex, which is two times larger than any other presidential museum in the country I might add, will enlighten us a little to what our fair city can provide.

I can't wait to actually see what all the fuss is about. I've heard that it's kind of an Epcot-ish, smoke and mirror approach to learning about Lincoln's accomplishments. If that's what makes people pay attention and draws in a larger crowd, so be it. Rest assured that I'll be posting a full review after I've visited...to be continued...

Spidey's Dance Moves...

2005-04-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

He'll make you gay,

And you'll sing that stupid damn song all day.

Please help! I can't get this out of my head!

(Although I do have to admit that he has some pretty sweet dance moves...so graceful is he!!)

It's Just as We Suspected...

2005-04-12T21:33:00.000-05:00

Brit's knocked up...Read all about it here and then send her all your best here. Believe it or not, Fetus Spears even has its very own blog already...check out it's profile here.

Thanks to Trent for keeping us all posted...

Kid Joke

2005-04-11T22:45:00.000-05:00

A few of the pre-teen boys in shelter made up this joke and have been telling it to everyone everyday. I promised them that I'd share it here...

Q: Why can't you borrow money from Jodi?
A: Because she's always a little short.

Good One, Guys!

Could It Really Be??

2005-04-05T21:41:00.000-05:00

Concert Season !!!

Summer is not my favorite season, however, it does have it's perks. The highlight of every summer is attending numerous concerts and this summer shant be any different.

Here's the run-down so far:

April 20 - Cake (did I mention that I have 7th row tix?)

June 1 - Dave Matthews Band (it's the first show of their summer tour...)

July 9 - Tom Petty and The Black Crowes (is this for real or am I dreaming?)

Rest assured, I'll keep ya posted...some things are just too exciting to keep to myself...

He's Gone to the Great Pope-mobile in the Sky...

2005-04-04T13:52:00.000-05:00

I was one of the several who listened to the radio and watched CNN religiously (pardon the pun) awaiting the death of the Pope. The world is saddened by this loss and looking forward to seeing who is believed to be fit enough to follow up such a profound historical figure. (Personally, I'm rooting for the candidate from Nigeria.)

I was trying to figure out a warm tribute to the Pope that I could publish as today's entry, but if you're alive, you've heard about how wonderful the Pope was and all of the great things that he's accomplished in his life. I've decided to celebrate his automatic entrance into heaven with my favorite Pope joke of all time. God Bless!

"The Pope had just finished a tour of the US and was taking a limo to the airport. Having never driven a limo before, he asks the chauffeur if he can drive for a while. In this situation, the chauffeur doesn't have much of a choice, so he climbs in the back of the car and turns the wheel over to the Pope.

The Pope is doing well, but then he starts accelerating rapidly to see what the limo could do. He gets to about 90 MPH and then suddenly sees red and blue lights in the rearview mirror. He pulls over and the trooper comes up to his window.

The trooper, seeing who it is, says, "Wait just a moment, I need to call in."

The trooper calls in to the station and asks for the chief. He tells the chief that he's got a REALLY important person pulled over and asks how to handle it.

"Is it the Governor?"
"No! Even more important!"
"Is it the President?"
"No sir, it's even more important!"
"Well, who the heck is it?" screams the chief.
"I don't know sir," replies the trooper, "but he's got the Pope as his chauffeur!"

Just in Case You're Wondering...

2005-04-04T13:43:00.000-05:00

I've started the "lifestyle change" yet again...

So far today I've consumed 6 grams of fat and 643 calories...right on target!

American Idiot??

2005-04-01T23:19:00.000-06:00

Well, my friends, it seems as if we have a little situation on our hands. I was just starting to get into this season of "American Idol" after slacking with season 3. Of course, just when I start to enjoy something, an element of it goes terribly wrong. I have officially began my AI boycott...unless the country sees things my way.

Thanks to this, it was discovered that contestant Scott Savol has some issues. In 2001, he not only threatened to kidnap his 3-week old son, but he also threw a phone at his girlfriend, and mother of his child, so hard into her chest that the phone broke. His girlfriend was successful in getting a restraining order on behalf of herself and the child. Good job, Mr. Savol. What a great guy.

As if Savol's actions weren't bad enough, AI producers have taken it one step further down the chute by saying that because he was "honest about his past" and "showed remorse", he isn't going to be asked to leave the show.

Watch out folks, I'm pulling out the soap box. Being an advocate for victims of domestic violence, I am appalled that a show like AI would allow such a situation to remain ignored. If Savol had killed his girlfriend, would the situation be the same? If he were also honest about that and told producers that he was sorry? Some things just can't be forgotten.

Another concern is that the target audience of AI is obviously females, young females, in fact. By allowing Savol to remain on the show, the seriousness of the incident is letting these girls know that violence against women isn't a serious enough crime when it comes to talent. Is a violent man really the person that you believe should be given the chance to become an IDOL for these girls or anyone?

If you recall, two past AI contestants, Corey Clark and Jared Andrews, were dismissed from the show after it was discovered they had assault charges against them. Frenchie Davis was given the boot after it was discovered she had appeared topless on an adult website while she was in college. This, of course, was her choice and it didn't harm anyone. Still, if these three people were not seen as fit "Idols" for the public, then what is Savol still doing living in the big house and getting weekly airtime? I'm quite certain that if you asked Clark, Andrews, and Davis, they are all sorry for what they did in the past just as much as Savol.

Scott's actions are much more serious than just having an "anger management" issue. Abusers don't have "anger management" problems. They are fully aware of what they are doing. Note that when abusers get angry, they don't just punch the first person they see on the street, they direct that anger and violence toward their partners and children. This is clearly a choice that is being made. No one is forcing them to injure another person.

Unfortunately the producers of the show and FOX aren't seeing this as a serious enough problem to make him deal with the consequences of his poor decisions. Not only is this incredibly scary, it's also incredibly dangerous and incredibly unfair. It's unfair to all of those others who deserve to have his spot in the competition and it's unfair to all of those victims of domestic violence because they are being shown that those who inflict pain upon them, can still be an "American Idol." Personally speaking, I can honestly say that I hope to God that my children never ever idolize someone like Savol. When I think of the word "idol", I think of someone who is a positive role model, respectful, interested in doing what's best for themselves and others, and someone who certainly has earned the title and worthy enough to represent what it stands for.

So, what happens next? Yes, letters will be written to American Idol producers, FOX, perhaps even Savol himself by disappointed fans, victims of dating violence, even staff members who work for domestic violence agencies. Will these letters be enough to make a difference? Every week Seacrest tells us that the decision is up to us, will America do the right thing this week? Will the news of his violent actions make a difference? I suppose we shall find out on Wednesday...

Scott Savol, your next American Idol??

R.I.P.

2005-04-01T22:13:00.000-06:00

Life can be funny...but it can also be cruel...when it takes those who are hysterical away from us. Sadly, Mitch Hedberg, one of my favorite comedians ever died this week of heart failure at the young age of 37. Many suspect drug use, his mother says that he was born with a heart defect....whatever the cause of death, it doesn't make the loss any less tragic. Check out some of his classic clips here. I've included some of my favorite Mitch Hedberg jokes. Enjoy!

"I would imagine that if you could understand Morse Code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy."

"At my hotel room, my friend came over and asked to use the phone. I said, 'Certainly.' He said, 'Do I need to dial 9?' I say, 'Yeah, especially if it's in the number.'"

"I saw a human pyramid once. It was totally unecessary."

"This shirt is dry clean only, which means it's dirty."

"I bought a doughnut and they gave me a receipt. I don't need a receipt for a doughnut. I give you money and you give me a doughnut, end of transaction. We don't need to bring paper and ink into this. I can't imagine a scenario that I would have to prove that I bought a doughnut. To some skeptical friend, 'Don't even act like I didn't buy a doughnut, I've got the documentation right here.' It's in my file at home...under 'D' "

"My friend was walking down the street the other day and said, 'I hear music.' As if there were any other way to take it in. I tried to taste it, but it didn't work."

"It's hard to dance if you just lost your wallet. 'Whoa! Where's my wallet? But this song is funky...' "

"It's very dangerous to wave to people you don't know because what if they don't have hands? They'll think you're cocky."

"I don't own a cell phone or a pager. I just hang around everyone I know all the time. If someone needs to get ahold of me, they just say, 'Mitch', and I say, 'What?' and turn my head slightly."

"I was at this casino minding my own business, and this guy came up to me and told me that I was going to have to move because I was blocking a fire exit. As though if there were a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit."

"My friend said to me, 'You know what I like? Mashed potatoes.' I was like, 'Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause.'

"If you had a friend who was a tightrope walker and you were walking down the sidewalk and they fell, that would be totally unacceptable."

"My apartment is infested with koala bears. It's the cutest infestation ever. Way better than cockroaches. When I turn on the light, a bunch of koala bears scatter, but I don't want them to. I'm like, 'Hey! Hold on fellows! Let me hold one of you and feed you a leaf!' Koala bears are so cute, why do they have to be so far away from me?"

"I opened a yogurt up, underneath the lid it said, 'Please try again' because they were having a contest that I was unaware of. I thought maybe I had opened the yogurt wrong...or maybe Yoplait was trying to inspire me...'Come on, Mitchell, don't give up!' An inspirational message from your friends at Yoplait, fruit on the bottom and hope on the top."

"On a traffic light, yellow means yield and green means go. On a banana, it's just the opposite. Yellow means go ahead and green means stop. Red means, where'd ya get that banana?"

"I use the word 'totally' too much. I need to change it up and use a word that is different but has the same meaning. 'Mitch, do you like submarine sandwiches?' 'All-encompassingly...' "

"I haven't slept for ten days because that would be way too long."

"I got in an argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That's a bad place for an argument because when I tried to walk out, I had to slam the flap."

"I like vending machines because snacks are better when they fall."

"I love blackjack. I'm not addicted to gambling, I'm addicted to sitting in a semi-circle."

"I think that foosball is a combination of soccer and shish-ka-bobs."

"I think that Pringles intention was to make tennis balls but on the day that the rubber was supposed to show up, a big truckload of potatoes arrived. But Pringles is such a laid back company that they just said, 'Fuck it. Cut 'em up."

"When someone hands you a flyer, it's like they're saying, 'Here, you throw this away.' "

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something."

"When you go to a restaurant on the weekends and it's busy, they start a waiting list. They say, 'Dufrane, party of two, table ready for Dufrane, party of two' and if no one answers, they'll say the name again. 'Dufrane, party of two.' But if no one answers, they'll move on to the next name. 'Bush, party of three.' Yeah, but what happened to the Dufranes? No one seems to care , who can eat at a time like this? People are missing. You people are selfish. The Dufrane's are in someone's trunk right now , with duct tape over their mouths and they're hungry. That's a double whammy! We need help! Bush search party of three! You can eat once you find the Dufranes!!"

Lemme Splain Sumphin....

2005-04-01T22:05:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, the world is being bombarded with sadness, tragedy, and grief...one of the most devastating events of the past 2 weeks is the fact that my computer has been infested. For who knows what reason, I wake up to the image of a giant vagina on my computer screen every morning...it's great, just fucking great. Anyway, giant vaginas aside, the virus is causing me stress and to spend less time at my computer. Until Joe can make a housecall, my posts will be a little slow. However, for the benefit of my favorite readers, you know who you are, I will give you a few good rants this evening...maybe this will hold you over until the next post. Glad you got to hear from me.

TO ALL MY PEEPS...

2005-03-27T10:12:00.000-06:00

Happy Easter !!!

Saved By The What??

2005-03-21T20:00:00.000-06:00

So, here it 'tis...the BIG BIRTHDAY UPDATE!! Try to contain your excitement...

Friday - I had a lovely dinner with family and then crashed out at home. I've still been dealing with this ear infection that definitely has slowed me down. Plus I knew that I had to rest up for the long weekend ahead...and long it was...

Saturday - I was ill in the morning so I slept in as long as possible. My mother and I ran some errands, did a little shopping, and then headed here for massages. Excellent! I then went and got a pedicure, which now looks awful because I made the mistake of wearing shoes that weren't open-toed. Saturday night some friends and family and I got together to play in a trivia event to raise money for the high school that I attended. We came in fourth from last...not so good. After trivia, the adventure began. Regena, Jamie (who hasn't been out in almost 2 years...) and I headed out to one of the local bars with a massive dance floor. We just wanted to throw our purses and shoes in a circle and dance around them as ladies often do. Of course, being on anti-biotics for my ear-infection, I couldn't drink anything, but I never need alcohol to enjoy myself. Jamie, on the other hand, drank enough for both of us so it was covered. Lisa and her new friend, "SuperJake" showed up and Joe joined us a bit later. We even managed to get him out on the dance floor at one point...Amazing! (Stay tuned for pictures...) The highlight of the evening had to be this...

HA! I met Screech! How fun is that? How lame is that? He was performing at the Funny Bone comedy club that was located inside the entertainment complex where we were celebrating. Let me tell you, he may have bombed inside, but outside he was making a killing! He was selling autographed headshots of himself for $20 and autographed Polaroid pics for $10. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for B-list celebs and it was my birthday so I did pay the money for the picture...but it's almost too much fun, isn't it? It would have been even more fun if Slater was there too, but, c'est dommage, no such luck.

Sunday - The sojourn continues...I sped off to St. Louis to meet Winter and Bill, the filmmaker. If you haven't watched the trailer or aren't yet familiar with the project, check it out here. I did a short interview with him about how Winter and I met and our "undefined" relationship and the like. It was quite fun. Winter suprised me with AN IPOD MINI! After trying to give it back several times, he convinced me to keep it and I'm glad that he did. It's better than a new boyfriend...heh.

I LUV U IPOD !!!!

Winter, Bill and I met up with our old friend Louis and his friend at a Starbucks in Webster Groves. Bill wanted to talk to Louis about his connection to Winter. There was one more new Starbucks in the area that Winter needed to visit so we headed off for it. Winter complained about my driving and I complained about the effects that the caffeine was having on him. It was just like old times! Of course, the whole world is going to get a taste of it when the film is released next year. Winter got a little upset when I couldn't find the entrance to the Starbucks parking lot quickly enough so he took it upon himself to just jump out of the car, run across the street, jump like a fool on the median, down into the ditch, and then in and out of the store before we even had a chance to get into the parking lot. I felt bad because I knew that Bill wanted to get a play-by-play of Winter's routine. Anyway, Winter and I took Bill to the airport to catch his flight and headed off to dinner. I knew that Winter hadn't been feeling well, but he stated that he was really nauseated after dinner so we cut the evening short. If you know me on a personal level, you know about my emetophobia so I was prepared to get the ailing Winter out of my car as quickly as possible. We checked into the hotel and we were asleep by 8pm.

Today - We woke up this morning, and despite my efforts to sleep in or lounge around a bit before heading off to breakfast, I was forced into the shower and we were off to The Cracker Barrel, my favorite place in the world for breakfast. After that it was time for us to say our good-byes once again. We were getting good at it. I used to cry, now we just hug, and Winter dashes. I stopped to get gas and later found out that Winter followed me into the parking lot of the gas station to get one last hug. Usually that was my routine. Unfortunately, we missed each other. I decided that I wasn't going to waste a perfectly good day off so I navigated my way back to the Galleria where I purchased a couple of new shirts, some thank you cards, and "socks" for my ipod. Very Exciting!

Socks for my ipod

Cozy little ipod

Hey! I'm Quite Familiar with Striped Shirt Guy and His Friends...

2005-03-18T07:10:00.000-06:00

Good morning! I just want everyone to be aware that I DID indeed prepare an entry yesterday for St. Patty's Day, unfortunately, when I went to post it, it never showed up and was lost and gone forever. I'm sorry if I've disappointed my loyal readers...you know who you are.

Today's entry, unlike yesterday's, isn't by me at all (thanks to Mike Polk at Phat Phree) but I wish that I would've thought of it because it's flippin' hysterical. Plus, really I can do almost whatever I want since it's the last day I'll ever have to be 27.

Don't I know this guy from somewhere? Oh yeah, EVERY BAR THAT I GO INTO!

"Look at my striped shirt! Fucking look at it! This shirt means one thing! I'm coming home with a fine lady tonight! That's right! It's been a long week at the office and it's time to blow off a little steam! I'm a Junior Vice President! I even have cards that say "Junior Vice President" on them! They're glossy and magnificent! Here! Have one! Take it!

My boys are coming out with me tonight! They all have striped shirts too!

I figure we'll kick off the night with some Golden Tee! I'm going to smack the shit out of that little white ball! It's going to be so fucking loud! I'll bet I can drive that pretend golf ball 600 fucking yards tonight! I'm that fucking pumped!

I can almost taste those Jager Bombs right now! I fucking love Red Bull! I put it on my cereal every morning!

I'm thinking about buying a boat this year!

I'm gonna fight someone tonight! I pray to God someone makes eye contact with me! I will beat his ass! And God help him if he gets any blood on my striped shirt! I mean it!

I'm gonna grind on some girls tonight! You heard me! When I see a group of girls dancing in a circle, I will select the most attractive one and dance all over her!

I will valet tonight! I will treat the valet with contempt and make sure he knows that I am superior to him in life! I will tell him to 'Take it easy on the brakes, Champ!'

I will talk to people I don't know about my job tonight! They will all know that I'm an important man! I will call all female bartenders 'Babe' and all male bartenders 'Chief'!

When I do not hook up with a girl at that club, I will say that place is 'full of skanks'! We will wait in a long line at another bar only to strike out again!

I will give up and decide to order a gyro from a street vendor! I will make fun of him to my friends! I will look ridiculous purchasing my gyro because people will be able to tell by my striped shirt and tinted sunglasses that I struck out and am settling for a gyro!

I will make one last attempt to hook up by trying to coax two big girls who are also ordering gyros to coming back to my place for 'after hours'! When they reject me, I will make fun of them for being overweight! I will leave!

I will then go home and pass out! I will need some fucking shut eye so that I'll be ready to fucking party again tomorrow night!"

To Celebrate Hump Day...

2005-03-16T08:16:00.000-06:00

Kim brought this site to my attention and it has been making me giggle all morning. This picture is just the beginning. I even had to sumbit my own pic to the "humpmaster"...keep an eye out for it.

IN OTHER FUN NEWS...

I came across a guy, whose blog isn't poop contrary to the title, who developed a rather amusing list. Thought I'd share...

"Things You Probably Heard in the 80's...or Would Hear at Any 80's-themed Pary"

1) "Man, it's not going to get any better than these cassettes! Not in my lifetime. Fast forward AND rewind? It's just crazy!"

2) "Some bands are built to last and others aren't. I'm sorry, but I just don't think that U2 is going to be around in another 20 years. They just don't strike me as that kind of group."

3) "Do you want to go have some unprotected sex? We're straight, it's not like we're going to have to worry about AIDS or anything, c'mon!"

4) "When I think about George Michael, two words come to mind: P**** Magnet. That guy gets more ass than both of the Thompson Twins COMBINED. Man, I'd give my right nut to be George Michael, even for a day."

5) "Mike Tyson will never lose. He's an inspiration to us all."

6) "I look forward to following Michael Jackson's career. If there's one artist that you can count on to put out one exceptional record after the next, it's MJ. The guy is just incredible, and he's not the least bit pedo-philey either."

7) "Dan Quayle is too dumb to be in politics. I bet you he's the dumbest person we have ever had in office during our lifetime. At least we didn't vote him in. Imagine if we ever actually voted for someone that dumb! It'll never happen."

8) "I cannot wait for 'Back to the Future 2'!!! When it said 'to be continued...' at the end, I was like, 'Man, it can't come soon enough!' I bet it's better than the first!!"

9) "Heavy metal is here to stay!"

10) "Special effects will never get better than 'E.T.' That bike was FLYING!"

11) "Did you hear that Christopher Reeves took up horseback riding? Is there anything that Superman can't do?"

12) "I wonder what Janet Jackson's boobs look like..."

13) "There are three things I'll never do in my life: pay to watch TV, pay to listen to my radio, and pay more than $5 for a movie. It's totally not worth it."

14) "I wish George Lucas would make some more 'Star Wars' movies. How great would those be??"

15) "Man, those Coreys are such a dynamic duo! Their futures are so bright, I just gotta wear shades!"

16) "Wouldn't it be great if there were a television show celebrating how much we love this decade? No? Yeah, you're probably right."

"Hey Kool-Aid!"

Have a great Wednesday!

I've gotta go buy the newest issue of Tiger Beat!

Let Them See Cake !!!!

2005-03-15T09:23:00.000-06:00

My name is Jodi and I love Cake...that's why I have 7th row seats to see them on April 20 here! Hoorah!

However, I also like cake of this variety :)

(Pssst...only 4 shopping days left !!!)

Blech !

2005-03-13T17:11:00.000-06:00

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

Thanks mom, but no thanks...

No She Didn't !!

2005-03-13T11:20:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's a BONUS POST !!! Wahoo! I came across this interesting new "list" and I thought I'd play along...

I'm addicted to making music compiliations and someone brought "Project Frankenstein" to my attention. Legend has it that it came about as a result of a questionnaire/bet in one of the forums on this site. You simply compile a bunch of music according to the below statements. It's one cd made from lots of different parts...

Here's the formula:

1) A song that gets you going in the morning
2) A song from an artist that you're embarassed to admit that you like
3) A song you think is romantic
4) A song for a rainy day
5) A lullaby
6) A song that makes you feel great no matter when you hear it
7) A song from your favorite band
8) A song that makes you laugh
9) A song that reminds you of your high school days
10) A really good cover song
11) A song from a movie
12) A song with the word "look" in the title
13) A song by an artist who is a member of the "Dead Rockers Society"
14) Your favorite song by either Elvis or The Beatles
15) A song by a group that you otherwise don't like
16) Whatever it is, it's gotta be funky!
17) A song from the most recent CD you've bought
18) A song with "blues" in the title
19) One of the earliest songs that you remember listening to
20) Wildcard - A song by anyone about anything

My Frankenstein Mix would look like this...Enjoy!

1) "Disco Ball World" - David Garza
2) Anything by an American Idol finalist...shhh...don't tell...
3) "The Luckiest" - Ben Folds
4) "Breakin' Me" - Johnny Lang
5) "When You Dream" - Barenaked Ladies
6) "Steal My Kisses" - Ben Harper
7) "Your Bird Can Sing" - The Beatles
8) "Idiot Boyfriend" - Jimmy Fallon
9) "Piano Man" - Billy Joel
10) "Time After Time" - Matchbox 20
11) "Somebody's Baby" - Andru Donalds (Good Will Hunting soundrtrack)
12) "Look Away" - Chicago
13) "Watching the Wheels" - John Lennon
14) "Oh Darlin' " - The Beatles (the answers for this one are too numerous to mention)
15) "Walk This Way" - Run DMC
16) "All in the Groove" - Blues Traveler
17) "Candy Apple Red" - The Oohs (great local band)
18) "Fisherman's Blues" - The Waterboys
19) Anything from Cyndi Lauper's "She's So Unusual" album
20) Check out The Beatles' version of "Come and Get It"...amazing stuff

Make your own mix and share it here!!

(This means you too Electric Bozo...)

Busy Little Bee, That's Me !!

2005-03-13T10:30:00.000-06:00

Wow...I feel like such a stranger! I have had one of the busiest weeks ever and it's only getting busier. Of course I'm not complaining because I would rather be running around doing things than figuring out what to do with my free time, which seems to be dwindling anyway. I've come to the conclusion that time flies whether you're having fun or not. It's sad but true.

This week is going to be a crazy mix of fun and work. Here's the breakdown. Here's the part where you pretend you care...

Monday - Preparations for the week

Tuesday - Speaking engagement for a group of parents with pre-schoolers about the effects of domestic violence on children

Wednesday - Speaking engagement with a group of delinquent teens about dating violence

Thursday - St. Patty's Day! I promised the kids staying in shelter a party complete with "Leprechaun O'lympics!" Heh.

Friday - Other than being the eve of my 28th birthday, I'll also be practically the only one at work covering all of my co-workers who will be taking the day off due to their hangovers. That evening I'll be having a dinner/movie date with my mom.

Saturday - They say it's my BIRTHDAY! My birthday usually isn't just a one day event. I'm not really sure how this came to be. It's either because I am an only child or because I don't like to combine friends and family for one party. Dunno... Anyway, hoping to attend the St. Patty's Day parade here in town (it's a tradition...), spend a majority of the day at the spa, and then play trivia with friends in the evening followed by fun out on the town. The Oohs are playing, but I think that I won't be able to see them live again without having to apologize repeatedly...sorry again Frank....

Sunday - Sleep? Of course not! I'm draggin' my ass out of bed to continue the birthday celebration...with Winter! You say it's my birthday, well it's his birthday too now! He's going to be in St. Louis playing in a Scrabble tourney. Our plans are for me to talk to the filmmaker who is doing a documentary about his project and then meet up with Winter for dinner and music.

Monday - I think that I'm going to stop by Union Station before I head home, they have a great Beatles souvenir shop...and fudge! Yay!

Tuesday - Sleep! Sleep! Sleep! Hoorah!

We'll see how functional I am the next time that you hear from me. No worries, the camera is in the car and ready to go...Pics to follow!

Hey, also wanted to add that I'm trying to get a movement started by incorporating the words "shimmy" and "ta da" into daily language. Use them as often as possible...heh...that's my challenge for the week.

Oh yeah, another challenge...Avoid seeing "Be Cool" at all costs...because, well, it just isn't.

Awwww.....

2005-03-12T03:09:00.000-06:00

Ya know...sometimes it just doesn't get a lot cuter than this...

(thanks to Andrea for posting this cat nap)

unless, of course, it's my Pomeranian, Shelby!

I AM A WARRIOR !!

2005-03-06T10:59:00.000-06:00

It finally happened on Saturday night...after weeks of waiting. Myself, along with 3 other amazing women from our community, became "Vagina Warriors." (please see the entry from February 22 for full details of what it means to be a "Vagina Warrior"...it's not an easy job but somebody's gotta do it!) We were honored following an outstanding performance of "The Vagina Monologues." What an evening!

The 2005 Vagina Warriors: from left, Susy Woods, Candi Clouse, Mary Ratliffe, and Me

Mary and I - Mary was honored for her work at the local rape crisis center.

Candi and I

Candi is the coordinator of the Women's Issues Caucus at the Univerity of Illinois at Springfield. She also coordinated the entire event. Congrats to her for a successful evening!

Dennis and I

Dennis is a co-worker, an attorney, and friend, advocating for victims of domestic violence.

Heather and Claire are other Vagina Warriors that I know, both working to advocate for victims of violence. I was surrounded by warriors last night and I share my honors with all of them. Eliminating violence against women certainly involves teamwork.

There's absolutely no way that I can ignore those Vagina Warriors who have come before me...My Aunt Sue and My Mom...both advocates working to help those children who have been affected by violence in their homes.

In honor of my recognition, my Aunt Sue taught me the "warrior" pose she learned in Yoga class.

And of course we can't forget those who make us laugh hysterically about the good things while we are taking breaks from dealing with the bad. Joe braved the sea of feminists and came to celebrate with me at last night's post-show reception.

PLEASE...Someone Give Jenny A Salami Sandwich So She Will SOBER UP!!

2005-03-05T01:17:00.000-06:00

100 Things About Me

2005-03-03T00:06:00.000-06:00

I will jump on the bandwagon and add 100 things about myself. I will share because I care. Enjoy!

1. My name is Jodi Lee Morgan.

2. I am going to be 28 years old in 16 days.

3. I was born in Springfield, Illinois.

4. I am a Pisces.

5. I have my AA in Business, my BA in Mass Media Communication, and my MA in Interpersonal Communication from the University of Illinois.

6. I am right-handed.

7. Am I single?

8. I don't have any children.

9. I prefer instant messaging to e-mail.

10. I wear size 3/4 shoes...yes, kids shoes...

11. My birthmark is on my neck. It looks like a small spot of dirt.

12. My favorite bands are The Beatles and Barenaked Ladies.

13. Reality television is my guilty pleasure.

14. I have a toy Pomeranian named Shelby.

15. I'm addicted to stupid trivia about anything.

16. I work in the social services field.

17. I am being honored on 3-5-05 as a "Vagina Warrior" for my contributions in the community to preventing violence against women and girls.

18. I'm close to the Starbucks guy.

19. I used to play the piano and the oboe.

20. I love listening to acoustic guitars.

21. I also love the sound of people clapping outside.

22. A big nose on a guy is a total turn-on.

23. I love making out.

24. I am a liberal.

25. I have met Jared the Subway guy and Susan from "Sesame Street."

26. I am very picky about water pressure when I take a shower.

27. I am an only child.

28. I am a non-practicing Catholic.

29. I have naturally red hair.

30. I have blue eyes and wear glasses.

31. I lost over 60 pounds last year.

32. I sunburn easily and then it just goes away.

33. My first concert ever was Julian Lennon.

34. My friend Becks is really good at helping me get my shit together.

35. My favorite song is "Break Your Heart" by Barenaked Ladies.

36. My favorite movie is "Life is Beautiful."

37. Will Ferell can make me laugh until I cry.

38. I don't have any tattoos but would like to get the word "peace" on my back in typewriter font.

39. My ears are double-pierced.

40. I prefer silver jewelry to gold.

41. I have a scar on my left eye that looks like a dimple from when I fell onto a picket fence when I was 6.

42. I broke my little toe on my right foot last year when I fell down stairs in my house.

43. I worked at Bath and Body Works for 2 years until I got put on probation for "not smiling enough."

44. I would die without music.

45. I could eat pasta with meat sauce every single day.

46. My favorite cocktail is a Malibu and Coke.

47. I drive a 1999 Dodge Neon.

48. My favorite bar is the Brewhaus.

49. My favorite TV show ever was "Sex and the City."

50. I am a morning person.

51. I am also a night owl.

52. I love watching Strong Man competitions on TV.

53. The ringtone on my cell phone is currently set to "Fraggle Rock."

54. I prefer Pepsi to Coke, but Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi.

55. I can drink water by the gallons.

56. I think that rain is sexy.

57. I was blessed by the Pope.

58. I love to use ellipses... ... ... ... ... ...

59. I love everything about the 80's.

60. I love the Internet.

61. I hate olives and red peppers.

62. Sometimes people tell me that I look like Velma from Scooby Doo.

63. I'm allergic to Penicillin and Depakote.

64. I have never been on a ferris wheel or a rollercoaster.

65. I'm emetophobic.

66. Autumn is my favorite season.

67. I have to visit www.toothpastefordinner.com everyday.

68. I am 4'11" tall.

69. I used to be a Girl Scout.

70. I love sleeping with a fan blowing on me.

71. I like to spoon.

72. I am always late for everything.

73. I also procrastinate.

74. I would love to own a children's bookstore someday.

75. If possible, I would go back to high school.

76. I think jokes about lepers are funny.

77. I can rollerskate backwards.

78. I believe in fate.

79. Nerds turn me on.

80. Ebay is also a guilty pleasure.

81. I have to be early for movies because I love previews.

82. I think I may have ADHD.

83. When I was young, I wanted to marry Mr. Rogers.

84. I hate science fiction.

85. Vanilla ice cream is much better than chocolate.

86. Salty stuff is much better than sweet stuff.

87. I only watch the Superbowl for the commercials.

88. I keep a "grateful journal."

89. I am a constant ice chewer but I don't think that it has anything to do with low iron levels or sexual frustration...I just like to chew on ice.

90. I could play Scattergories for hours at a time.

91. I want someone to sing "Wonderful Tonight" to me before I die.

92. "Napoleon Dynamite" was the best movie that I saw last year.

93. My favorite thing about the summer is going to concerts.

94. I want to see Paul McCartney in concert before either of us dies.

95. I won't let the kids that I work with use Play-Doh because I hate the way it smells.

96. I need to get my wisdom teeth pulled but I'm too scared to do it so I've been avoiding the dentist.

97. When I was little I used to love the Transformers cartoon because I thought that the theme song stated "Morgan meets the eye" rather than "More than meets the eye."

98. My favorite pair of shoes are my Birkenstock clogs with a red piece of string tied to the left one.

99. I am more confident when I wear black.

100. Coming up with 100 things about myself was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

As if this list wasn't enough, check out my list of things I would like to do before I die at www.43things.com. Just look up "beatls8" and then make your own list. I dare ya...

Hello Winter!

2005-03-02T09:34:00.000-06:00

Not only did Winter return this past weekend in the form of big, white flakes, Winter, the crazy Starbucks guy, made a return trip to Illinois.

I received an e-mail from him stating that he was going to be competing in a Scrabble tournament in Michigan and wanted to get together in Chicago for the weekend. I checked out my calendar and not only was it the last free one until April, but I also discovered that Ani Difranco was going to be playing at the Auditorium Theatre on Saturday night. Winter and I had discussed going to see her together before if the timing was right and this attempt seemed like it would fall together...or would it? I talked to "Amber the Intern" who said that a couple of friends went the an Ani concert last Thursday night in Missouri and the show ended up being cancelled. Would we face the same disappointment? We wouldn't know. It was determined that Winter wouldn't be able to get from Michigan to Chicago in time for the show. It didn't help matters that I have a major fear of driving into the city of Chicago itself. I'm not the most cautious driver, but mix that with a city full of non-attentive drivers and there is bound to be some loud screeching followed by some crashing noises...

I have a cousin who lives in Tinley Park so I decided that I would go see her place and spend the day shopping with her until Winter arrived. Her sister went with me, often clenching her teeth and grabbing the dashboard, as I drove. What is usually a 3 hour drive turned out to only take a little over 2 hours in my Neon. We arrived to Gale's safely. After the color returned to Amy's face, we decided to get to the shopping right away. If there is one thing that we learned from our mothers, it was how to shop. Orland Park was great! Shopping everywhere! We hit the mall for a while and then stopped at a fantastic restaurant/brewery, Harrison's. The wait was certainly worth it. It was profound to go to a brewery and not sample their wares. Not being a beer drinker and after asking the waitress 8 million questions about their brews, I decided on a cherry beer. It was amazing! Besides the fact that it had actual cherries floating in the bottom of the glass, it was sweet and tasted just like...well, cherries.

I met up with Winter later that night. His original intentions of coming to the Chicago area weren't actually to visit me at all. There was a filmmaker who was making a documentary of his journeys and they both desperately wanted me to be a part of it. Bill, the filmmaker, was going to meet Winter in Chicago and then follow him around to get some footage. I was, and still am, having hesitations about the documentary. I was/am nervous about how I was going to be portrayed and, more importantly, how Winter was going to be portrayed. Not everyone has necessarily been fascinated or intrigued by his project. I think that it's hard for people to understand that this isn't just a "project" for Winter anymore, it's a lifestyle. His jobs, his relationships, his purchases, all revolve around his goal of visiting all of the Starbucks in the world. I'm certain that he'd get press from the film, but at the same time, I knew that he would also receive a lot of criticism. He is used to being razzed in the past by people challenging him, but I was not. I'm used to living my simple, semi-private life in Illinois. I'm not so sure that I would be able to brush everything off as easily as Winter and I am always thinking about long term effects. What Winter calls "stubborn", I call "safe." Stay tuned for more documentary info later...for now you can watch a trailer for the film, which is to be released sometime next year.

On Sunday morning, I quickly learned, and I should have known from past experience, that I wasn't about to hang out in my PJs when Winter is around. When Winter needs Starbucks, he needs Starbucks. We met Gale and Amy at Wheatfield's. They had been building it up as home of the "double yolk egg" so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. Let it now be said though that I would gladly take a Cracker Barrel over a Wheatfield's any day. When Winter and I sat down at our table, the waitress asked us if we wanted coffee and we both replied that we didn't. She then asked Winter, "You don't like coffee?" Heh...I laughed at her...and then apologized. If she only knew... The waitress obviously thought that the water I was drinking wasn't going to be enough for me so she pressured me into getting the fresh-squeezed OJ...not the best at all, even if they did serve it in a small martini glass. I decided to go with the stuffed french toast, also not the best. I left Wheatfield's disappointed...and a little hungry.

Gale and Amy are both teachers and they headed back to Gale's apartment to grade papers while I went into the city with Winter. He drove of course. However, the traffic in the city was non-existent. I could've easily handled it, but then again, it was a Sunday afternoon. Winter made a few stops for Starbucks. If you have checked out his site, you'll see that he doesn't like to travel with other people because they get tired and want to do "touristy" stuff. That's me. Starbucks is great and I love to see him get so excited and go through the rituals, but Starbucks is...well...Starbucks. After we've traveled for a while, we usually get to a certain point where Winter will let me choose what I want to do. I know that he absolutely hates every choice that I make, but appreciate the fact that he's willing to go along with it. Even though, he does tend to complain throughout. This day I decided that I wanted to go to the Museum of Science and Industry. I had been there a few months ago when I was in Chicago to see Xian's terracotta soldiers, but had run out of time when it came to Science and Industry. I had thought that parking at the museum had been free. When we descended into the parking lot, we saw a sign stating that it wasn't free at all. In fact, it was ridiculously expensive. We opted to find some free parking on the street. The closest we came was a few blocks away from the museum. It wasn't far, but a nice walk none-the-less. I had been hopeful for spring weather that weekend and decided to wear sandals. It was cold outside and a little windy, I wasn't nearly as chilly as Winter was. He practically ran from the car to the museum.

When we got inside, there was a line like I had never seen before. The museum had already been open for an hour and there had to have been a thousand people in line. We had limited time before I had to join up with Gale and Amy again so it was obvious that we weren't going to make it into the museum. As we began the trek back to the car, Winter just took off running. I was used to his erratic and spontaneous activities so I just went with it. As I walked alone, I passed an apartment building where I was asked by a couple of guys if I wanted to join them for lunch. I kept walking and saw Winter's car coming to pick me up.

We headed back to Tinley Park and had some time to kill so we decided to take a stab at a second breakfast at "The Egg & I", a title that was difficult to figure out from the street. The sign was like a little rebus, but Winter figured it out first. Winter is addicted to biscuits and I thought that those would certainly make up for the failed trip to the museum. I know that he hates to waste any amount of time so I'm sure that as we walked from the museum back to the car, he tallied in his head how many Starbucks he could've visited in that amount of time that we just wasted. I ordered an omelette because it seemed like the thing to do at a restaurant with the word "egg" in the title. Of course, the waitress came back to tell Winter that they were out of biscuits and he would have to settle for buttered wheat toast.

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel to swtich cars and say our good-byes, something that always makes me a little sad. While I go back to my boring repetitive work days, Winter is on to another exciting adventure. Winter and I usually have a good time together so I hate that we only had a few hours to spend together. There was talk of meeting up again for our birthdays in St. Louis...we'll see what happens.

I met back up with Amy and we headed for home. I had a date with my mom to watch the Academy Awards like we do every year...the Academy Awards aren't something that you can just Tivo... On our way back, Amy and I spotted a retro-candy shop that was going out of business so I stocked up on the sweet stuff and headed for Springfield, in the rain, without the Winter.

Happy March!

2005-03-02T09:13:00.000-06:00

March is lovely for so many reasons...beginning with birthdays. MINE! But not today, March 19, you still have time to decide which pathetic Xmas present you're going to re-gift and send to me. Today, however, is the birthday of one Theodore Geisel, who you may also know as Dr. Seuss. If I were feeling a little bit more inspired today, I would've written a little rhyming ditty for the man, but alas I'm only able to give him a "Happy Birthday." Of course, I can't sing the song because that would be breaking copyright laws since I didn't obtain the permission ahead of time from Time Warner.

He didn't write the above book, but it would have been amusing if he had.

Since I'm on the topic of distributing Happy Birthdays, I may as well send one out to "Yahoo", who is celebrating its 10th birthday today! Yahoo! Thanks for the free ice cream!!

Today is their birthday, is it your birthday too (yeah)?? Lemme know.

Hoorah!

2005-02-28T12:50:00.000-06:00

Way to Go WFMB!

Congrats to everyone who worked so hard to make this year's radio-thon such a huge success!

Final Total Raised for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: $143,665.15

The Desperate Plea

2005-02-25T00:48:00.000-06:00

Vagina Warrior

2005-02-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

It's not a porn name...let me explain. Eve Ensler is a feminist and an activist for females all over the world, especially those who have experienced violence in their lives. In 1998, Eve debuted a play entitled, "The Vagina Monologues." She had interviewed women all over the world about their experiences and opinions on sexuality and turned their stories into a series of monologues. As women who were seeing the play began to tell their own horror stories of being raped, mutilated, and molested, Eve decided that the play must serve a greater purpose. Out of this came V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day invites college groups, volunteers, professional actors, local theater companies, etc. to perform "The Vagina Monologues." It's amazing to think that the same play is being performed all over the world on the same day. All proceeds of each performance are split among local organizations committed to eliminatinating violence against women in their community. In the past 7 years, V-Day has been performed in 76 countries and has raised over $25 million.

Now about the "Vagina Warrior" thing...Last year, "The Vagina Monologues" was performed on V-Day in 1,100 communities. At each performance, communities honored their own "Vagina Warriors", those people who have witnessed or experienced violence and then have done work to make sure that no one else in the community has to go through it. These people included counselors, doctors, police officers, volunteers, and many, many more. This year, at each performance, 3 "Vagina Warriors" from the community will be honored and recognized for the work they do to eliminate violence against females.

Which brings me to the exciting part...This year, yours truly has been named a "Vagina Warrior" and will be honored at the University of Illinois at Springfield's performance of the "The Vagina Monologues" for all the work I have done with victims of domestic violence. It's such an honor that I can't even express into words what it means to me. The most fulfilling part of my job is knowing that I'm making a difference. There isn't anyone to thank for this honor except the "Vagina Warriors", those noticed and those unsung, who have led the way. They've acknowledged a problem, faced challenges, sometimes have experienced pain, but have not given up on their goals. Of course, I wouldn't be who I am without my mother, who is constantly inspiring me to continue "fighting the good fight", no matter how hard it gets or how tired I become.

Please, please, please call up those females who are important in your lives, your grandmothers, aunts, cousins, mothers, friends, and take them to see "The Vagina Monolgues" in your area on March 5, a.k.a. "V-Day 2005." I challenge you to let yourselves be moved, to be shocked, to laugh, to cry, to be transformed, never to look at the women around you (or your vagina for that matter...) in the same way again.

For a listing of performances in your area, look here...

p.s. Congrats to Mary and the other anonymous "Vagina Warrior"...see ya next Saturday!

Barenaked Tuesday !!

2005-02-15T09:15:00.000-06:00

Video code provided by MusicVideoCodes.com

The Big Sleazy

2005-02-08T08:51:00.000-06:00

Happy Mardi Gras!

It seems as if today everyone is going to partake in their worst habits and give in to their ultimate addictions...food, alcohol, sex...the list goes on. An addiction is something that guides your life, the way you act and think. I thought, that since I'm going to be stuck in snowy Springfield rather than The Big Easy, I would share a few of my current addictions. They certainly wouldn't get me in trouble in New Orleans (Bacardi excluded), but give me a break...I still know how to Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Keep in mind that I won't be giving any of these things up for Lent...

(1) Reese's Peanut Butter anything! I've been able to limit myself to one of those great peanut butter filled chocolate hearts to one per week. Those hearts are the only good thing about Valentine's Day...but I'll save my anti-Vday lecture for another day. It's not like peanut butter and chocolate is even a new fare so I'm not sure what the addiction is all about...hmmmm....I'll just have to eat some more and see if it comes to me.

(2) "The Futurist" I know that I've mentioned Robert Downey Jr.'s CD at least once on my site, but I just want to plug it again. It's really, really amazing and I can't get enough of it. I actually own 3 copies so that I have one to listen to in the house, one for the car, and one for my office. Take a chance, you might like it.

(3) Smirnoff Twist These are my worst enemies yet my new best friends...how can that be? I'm not a drinker, but these drinks are about to put me under. Like it's not bad enough that they taste like Kool-Aid, there is a new Twist flavor everytime I visit the Stadium. I can't take it...but yet I can't give it up...makes it sound like I'm addicted to heroin, doesn't it?

(4) Plato's Closet This is not really an addiction, but more of a guilty pleasure. Since my massive weight loss over the past year, it seems that I've had to buy a new wardrobe every two weeks. I had always avoided this place because the commercials are filled with annoying teens who are excited because they carry Abercrombie clothing. I'm a thrift store junkie and Plato's is a consignment shop so I decided to stop in. I've been there weekly and have since stocked and re-stocked my closet with treasures.

(5) Walgreen's Since we're on the topic of shopping, can we talk about this wonderland? It all started when I had a prescription filled once and I browsed...that's when I fell in love. I enjoy variety and you can get anything at Walgreen's. You can get a 99 cent movie, an air freshener for your car, a pint of ice cream, a new pot of Carmex, a birthday card for your grandma, a roll of film developed, the latest product you've seen on an infomercial, cigars, and the new shade of Wet and Wild hot pink nailpolish all in one stop! I can't get out of Walgreen's without spending at least $30. They're also the only place in town that carry this, which is another current addiction of mine.

(6) "Candy Apple Red" I've mentioned local band, The Oohs, here before, but I don't think I've mentioned this song. I went to see The Oohs last weekend...and drank a couple of Smirnoff Twists actually... It wasn't until this past performance that I realized how incredible they really are. I knew that they were amazing, but they played a couple of new tunes...so versatile, those guys. "Candy Apple Red" is a song from their CD, "Saturday Morning Dreams." On the way to work yesterday, I actually just listened to this song over and over again until I arrived. Partly because I just LOVE this song so much and partly to try to interpret the chorus. Thanks to Brian Curtis, vocalist and keyboard player for the band, I now have those lyrics. "You have lips that are candy apple red and an angel halo overhead, tripping up my heartbeat. You have eyes that echo on through my mind. I can't stop thinking of you all the time. Have I said? Have I said? Have I said your lips are candy apple red?"

(7) The new C2 commercial It's not that the commercial is that great, but that Queen song and the images together make this one of the more amusing ads that I've seen in a while. I especially love the guy who breakdances in the lobby of his office building and the guy riding on the metro who breaks it down in the opposite car. Love it! The only time that I've seen this commercial is right before movie previews at the theater. I used to have to be at the theater super early to assure that I didn't miss the Fandango commercials, but now I have to be in time to "Break Free."

(8) 15 Megs of Fame This is my new favorite site. It features music by independent musicians in a number of different categories and you can vote for their music. Some of the stuff is really great! I've found a few new favorites whose tunes I've downloaded. Check out Rude Yak and Illustrate with Marco (they happen to be the featured artists on the site for today). Fun!

(9) Netflix I've resisted long enough. I have to plug Netflix. I LOVE NETFLIX! I don't care how witty the new Blockbuster commercials are...I'm not switching. I first checked into Netflix after I realized that it would be cheaper than renting all the DVDs that I rented monthly and then returned really late. I joined Netflix and then what did they do? Netflix lowered their prices! For less than $20 a month, you have access to over 30,000 titles that you can watch and return whenever you want. I have 450 movies in my current queue alone!

(10) CRACK ...just kidding...I wanted to make the list a nice round number. However, I did find the below product amusing...

Friday Fun

2005-02-04T09:04:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Alexis for the following questionnaire. I'm sure that it's a bit different that the one that the potential Michael Jackson jurors had to fill out...

Here we go!

(1) Total amount of music on your computer:

Currently I have about 500 songs on my Musicmatch Jukebox...and the numbers change everyday thanks to 15 Megs of Fame. I'm always finding fun stuff there. Check it out so you can listen to lots of independent music in several different categories and then rate each song. Every week a list of the top 25 songs in each category is released.

I'M ADDICTED TO IT !!

(2) The last CD you bought was:

The last CD that I bought was "The Futurist" by Robert Downey Jr. It's amazing! Not only is he a great actor, but he also is a very talented musician. "The Futurist" is the perfect CD for listening to while you're taking a bubble bath or driving alone in your car on a rainy night. Ahhh...I love it! Let's hope this means a comeback for RDJ.

(3) What is the last song that you listened to before you read this message:

I was visiting Stereogum and discovered that Joe Cocker has a new CD out in which he does several covers. The song that I was listening to as I was reading this message was his cover of "Jealous Guy."

(4) Write down 5 songs that you often listen to or that mean a lot to you:

(Sorry, Alexis, I have to go for 10...)

"Break Your Heart" - Barenaked Ladies

"Let Go" - Frou Frou

"Drop It Like It's Hot" - Snoop Dogg (I've been listening to this song everyday while I get ready for work lately, but it doesn't really mean a lot...)

"Who I Am" - Jessica Andrews

"Fixing Her Hair" - Ani Difranco

"Steal My Kisses" - Ben Harper

"Wonderful Tonight" - Eric Clapton

"Laid" - James

"Sleep While I Drive" - Melissa Etheridge/Jewel

"Everything" - Alanis Morissette

"Breakin' Me" - Johnny Lang

"The Captain" - Kasey Chambers

"Purpose" - Avenue Q Soundtrack

"Something to Talk About" - Bonnie Raitt

"Beast of Burden" - The Rolling Stones

(I couldn't stop...I had to go all the way to 15...I would die without music...)

(5) Who are you going to pass this onto and why?

Andrea @ "Andrea's Photo Blog" - She always has witty commentary...and the best pics...wow!

Jason @ "Daley World News" - This doesn't even fit the format of his site at all, but he's a risk taker. I challenge him to fit it into an upcoming story...

Kim @ "Bacon and Eh's" - I can see her passing this on to many others for their enjoyment.

Do You Have A Secret ??

2005-02-01T20:17:00.000-06:00

"Frank Warren's Postcard project taps into the part of each of us that needs to share; to confess. The project balances perfectly on the line between art and psychology." - Anne C. Fisher

I came across Warren's unique project the other day. He's inviting strangers to anonymously send him postcards plastered with their innermost secrets. The project is currently being displayed at Fisher's gallery in Maryland. I'm not sure if the project is entertaining (one postcard states, "In 4th grade my friend made me laugh so hard that I actually pooped my pants") or creepy (another confesses, "I was hospitalized because I thought my dad was the Hillside Strangler") but either way, it's certainly intriguing. It made me think of secrets that I have in my life and things that I would want to confess to a total stranger, several thousand people actually, given the new popularity of the project's site. I couldn't think of one...

One of the highlights of the collection is the below postcard that had been defaced during a recent display. Warren tells us that this card and its graffiti demonstrate two themes that continue to appear throughout the project: "Many of the secrets that we keep are not as strange or shameful as we imagine."

Does sharing a secret this way have a healing effect, a type of indirect therapy? I would suppose that the experience would be similar to that of going to confession. You know that the priest wouldn't be able to reveal anything that you tell him, but I'm sure that you would become unburdened in some way knowing that because you have told at least one person, your issue could no longer be considered a "secret."

Hmmm...maybe I'll send in a postcard of my own someday. If you have a secret you'd like to share, write it on a 4x6 postcard and mail it to:

PostSecret

13345 Copper Ridge Road

Germantown, MD 20874

Warren asks that your contribution be brief, legible, and creative, like the one below which made me chuckle...

Potterbaum-a-thon

2005-01-31T01:01:00.000-06:00

The week couldn't go by fast enough for me. It was hectic, I was working on something out of the office so I felt as if I wasn't getting anything done, and my sleep schedule was way off. Of course, I knew that the sleep issue wouldn't improve with the upcoming activities of the weekend.

My friend Dave is a law student in Chicago and, although I talk to him daily, I haven't seen him in a couple of years. I'm not really sure what the reasoning is behind that other than we both have busy schedules and Dave travels to fabulous far off lands often so it seems we're never in the Windy City at the same time.

It was a reunion of sorts this weekend. Chris ("meet ya at the Square guy") and Dave were roommates in college, along with another guy named Jeff. They all decided to get together this weekend. I joined them for their evening of pub-hopping. We met at Sammy's, a sports bar downtown for dinner. It was sooo exciting to see Dave and Jeff again. We did a lot of catching up. I haven't talked to Jeff since we graduated, but he was exactly the same as I remembered him. He reminds me of Milton from "Office Space." The very first time that I met him, he was all decked out in knee and elbow pads and rollerblading around the living room of the guys' apartment. That's the image that still comes to mind everytime I think of him.

Dave doesn't get to Springfield often so he couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a "Horseshoe", a food that one could only find in this city. It's an artery-clogging combination of toast topped with meat of one's choice, french fries, and then drenched in cheese sauce. Dave talked me into forgetting that I was on a diet and go for one too. I decided on the buffalo chicken, but it was too hot...and it didn't mix well with my Smirnoff. Dave discussed his disappointment over not being able to get U2 tickets, I shared my Ticketmaster tricks to guarantee you always get tickets, and Jeff talked about his new "friend", a girl in Russia who won't tell Jeff what her occupation is.

Fast forward to stop #2, the Brewhaus. It's always a favorite, boasting over 100 imports. Jeff (the "lucky bastard") and Dave threw back liters of Weissbier while Chris settled for Bailey's and coffee. I went with a Brewhaus favorite, the Pink Squirrel, followed by a Rum & Coke. While we were sitting there, a man with lots of facial piercings, so many in fact that I'm not exactly sure how any liquid would stay in his head without gushing out the numerous holes, came up to me and introduced himself. He showed us a picture of his kid and his wife's dog. It was a strange situation, but became even stranger when he grabbed a straw and shared my drink with me. I ran into not 1, but 2 ghosts from the past, that's always fun. My friend Jen showed up later and we moved to location #3.

We went to the Alamo to meet Coco, a friend from the Stadium, our usual hangout. When we reached the Alamo, it was evident that Coco had started consuming the spirits early that evening. Chris decided that he was finished drinking, but Jenny, Dave, Jeff and I took Coco up on his offer to do a shot. Jenny, Dave, Jeff and Coco went for a Misdemeanor while I went for something a little less crazy, an O-Bomb, Bacardi O mixed with Red Bull. Yuck! Chris and Jeff decided to leave. Dave and I hung out with Coco and Jen and shut the shack down. Dave was impressed by the amount of irish whiskey they gave him for $3 a glass...he really became obsessed with it. I was happy with my water, I had already overdone it. Jen and Coco decided to head over to another pub while Dave and I decided that we would go dancing...Yay!

By the time we got to Breaktime, the DJ was only playing country tunes and the crowd was winding down. We ended up just sitting in my car catching up for quite a while before I delivered him safely through the fog back to Chris' house, where he was staying while in town. It seems that Chris drank too much because when Dave arrived, he was very sick. We used to tease Chris about becoming intoxicated by just smelling alcohol...we weren't aware of the dangers of him actually consuming it! I said my good-byes to Dave and agreed to visit him soon. On my drive home, back through the fog, I got a call from Jen. She was abandoned at a friend's house so I rescued her and took her home. By the time I was finished taxi-ing people around, it was almost 5am before I even reached my front door.

What did you do this weekend?

Strangers with Jodi

2005-01-29T01:01:00.000-06:00

The goal of this exercise is to identify nine other bloggers that you would like to meet for dinner/drinks. The only caveat is that these bloggers must be strangers, you haven't met them before. State the blogger's name, a link to the blog, and why you would like him/her to be in attendance.

(1) Gerard, The Presurfer. I have a list of sites that I visit everyday and this is the one that I hit first. I don't know much about the "Great Gerard" himself, but his blog always leads me to various oddities and fun sites on the web. I would love to throw back a few with Gerard and try to figure out the method to his madness. Thanks for the amusement and the idea for today's entry!

(2) Kim, Bacon and Eh's. Congratulations to this Canadian for being a finalist at the 2005 Bloggies Awards! She's always entertaining whether she's talking about something amusing her kids have done or posting several links surrounding one particular theme. I've seen her name all over the place, excluding bathroom walls...she seems to be a favorite among many! It would be an honor to dine with someone so adored!

(3) Cynical-C Blog. Hilarious! The mystery writer of the blog is without a doubt, one of the most amusing blogs I've read. It's always filled with quirky content, bizarre photos, and hilarious commentary. I would love to know who produces this gem! Present yourself!

(4) Alexis, Drama Queen Confessions. This is a relatively new blog that I've luckily stumbled upon. Alexis is a self-declared George Clooney addict...and her hubby even looks a little like him too. I was led to her blog to check out one of her "Hump Day Hotties"...from there I was hooked! We share a lot of common hobbies so she is always providing me with new information and treasures to explore! Hooray!

(5) Anne, Fishbucket. Often in the morning, I check out new stuff on-line over a bagel before I have to rush off to that thing they call "work." She lists various interesting sites to check out. Anne's straight to the point, no playing around. She says, "Here's some fun stuff. Check it out. Like it or leave it. Come back tomorrow." Short and sweet...I like those who keep life simple.

(6) Renee, Gen X Nostalgia. Anyone who has a site which revolves entirely around the 80's is a-okay in my book! Like myself, Renee looks back on the 80's with fondness and adoration. Her blog is dedicated to analyzing those things that were so puzzling to us about the decade, yet made us so happy. Whether it's Rick Astley or Wham lyrics, the girl has got it covered. She's also very helpful at giving colorful, VH-1 style, "Where are they now?" up dates. I love it! Check out Renee's other site Midwest Bloggin'. If you're from this area, you can relate to her stories fairly well.

(7) Scott, Stereogum. In case you haven't noticed in my blog, I'm a musical enthusiast. Scott's site provides the best music news/commentary anywhere. He has all genres covered graciously. He is also amazing at reminding us of how bad music can be. I would certainly trust him to be in charge of the music during cocktail hour.

(8) Andrea, Andrea's Photo Blog. I was introduced to Andrea's site by Alexis. Yes, someone actually does like to know what everyone else is looking at. This is what I can say about Andrea's blog...It doesn't get much more fun than this. Andrea is an amazing photographer (she can take souvenir dinner pics for the group...) and her site is filled with lots of amusing nibblets. It's very rare when I can find someone who loves Demeter as much as myself. Who could have imagined? I can at least say that we would smell the best at the dinner party...as long as she doesn't go with the Funeral Home scent...

(9) Jeff, Dinoblog. The reason that I would like to meet Jeff is so that I can give him a big hug. His blog is so sad, yet so addicting. It's not often that a guy is going to put his personal life right out there for everyone to see. It seems as if he's lost his girl, his money, and even a little bit of weight. I think a little company might do Jeff some good...Hang in there, my friend.

2005-01-28T00:01:00.000-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!

(watch out for those land mines...)

A DYNAMITE Quiz (courtesy of the SJ-R)

2005-01-25T23:50:00.000-06:00

The following quiz was printed in the local newspaper in a weekly section that is geared towards teens. Unfortunately, because I'm over the age of 18, I couldn't participate in the contest. And I knew most of the answers too! Of course, now I know them all and being the cool person that I am, I'm giving you a chance to take the quiz. The first person, who in my contest must be at least 18, that answers all of the questions correctly will win a flippin' sweet Napoleon Dynamite-related prize. LUCKY!

Good Luck and Have Fun!

1) On what short film was "Napoleon Dynamite" based?

2) What will Kip love always and forever?

3) Why was Napoleon late to Kip and La Fawndah's wedding?

4) What kind of gun was used to shoot the Alaskan wolverines?

5) Where is Napoleon's "girlfriend" from?

6) What is the name of the farmer who shoots the cow in front of the kids on the school bus?

7) Name the artist and the title of the song that Summer Wheatley and the Happy Hands Club dance to.

8) In which city and state does Napoleon live?

9) How many hours did it take Napoleon to shade in Trisha's upper lip?

10) Why did a gang want to recruit Napoleon?

11) Where is Pedro from (include city)?

12) What is written on Grandma Dynamite's shirt in the four-wheeling scene?

13) How many student extras' names are listed in the closing credits?

14) What two foods does Napoleon feed Tina?

15) What does Napoleon pick up before he buys "De Kwon's Dance Moves"?

16) What TV show did the actor who plays Rex appear and what was his character's full name?

17) How many boondoggle key chains did Napoleon make at summer camp?

18) What object does Jon Heder's (Napoleon) name appear on during the opening credits?

19) What band sings the opening song and what is the title?

20) What sport is Napoleon playing in the DVD's deleted scene?

"What are you gonna do today Napoleon?"

"After I finish this quiz, I'll do whatever I feel like I wanna do, Gosh!"

Yikes!

2005-01-24T09:29:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday!

Blech!

2005-01-23T17:57:00.000-06:00

Well, it's official...I've been visited by the flu bug. Working in a shelter where lots of people are residing, I knew that I was bound to get it sooner or later. Like vomiting isn't bad enough, being emetophobic doesn't help matters at all. I've survived the worst and think I'll be ok. Wish me (and my gastrointestinal system) lots of luck!

Regarding someone whose luck has run out, I was sad to hear that the "King of Late Night", Johnny Carson, passed away today. I remember spending the night at my grandmother's house with my cousin and we would stay awake watching Mr. Carson's show. We liked the animals and when he wore that crazy fortune teller get-up mostly, but we still had fun trying to figure out what he was talking about when he made all of those sexual innuendos that we were too young to understand. And who could forget his very last episode where Bette Midler sang "One More for the Road?" that made Mr. Carson teary-eyed. It was only then that we realized that we would be going to bed lonely without him.

"Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you possibly could have imagined." - Johnny Carson

D-Day

2005-01-20T09:09:00.000-06:00

I don't know what I can possibly say...maybe this will help.

To-Do List

2005-01-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a list of some things that you may want to do before the big inaugaration on Thursday...

(1) Drink a nice clean glass of water.
(2) Cash your social security check.
(3) See a doctor of your own choosing.
(4) Spend quality time with your draft age children/grandchildren.
(5) Visit Syria, or any foreign country for that matter.
(6) Get that gas mask you've been putting off buying.
(7) Hoard gasoline.
(8) Borrow books from the library before they're banned - Constitutional law books, "Catcher in the Rye", "Harry Potter", "Tropic of Cancer", etc.
(9) If you have an idea for a piece of art involving a crucifix, do it now.
(10) Come out - and then go back in - Hurry!
(11) Jam in all of the Alzheimer's stem cell research that you can.
(12) Stay out late before the curfews start.
(13) Go see Bruce Springsteen before he has his "accident."
(14) Go see Mount Rushmore before the Reagan addition.
(15) Use the phrase, "You can't do that - this is America."
(16) If you're white, marry a black person. If you're black, marry a white person.
(17) Take a walk in Yosemite without being hit by a snowmobile.
(18) Enroll your kid in an accelerated music or art class.
(19) Start your school day without a prayer.
(20) Pass on the secrets of evolution to future generations.
(21) Learn French.
(22) Attend a commitment ceremony with your gay friends.
(23) Take a factory tour anywhere in the U.S.
(24) Try to take photographs of animals on the endangered species list.
(25) Visit Florida before the polar ice caps melt.
(26) Visit Nevada before it becomes radioactive.
(27) Visit Alaska before "the big spill."
(28) Visit Massachusettes while it's still a state.
(29) Stock up on birth control pills.